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©2025 FEPA. All Rights Reserved.
UK & Relevant International Laws Apply.
Main Pages:
Magazine & News:
Events:
Other Resources
©2025 FEPA. All Rights Reserved.
UK & Relevant International Laws Apply.
Davit Franco (1952–2025)
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Davit Franco on 23 March.
Giussepe Davit Franco was born in Istanbul. His journey as an exhibitor began in 1980, when he presented his collection, French Levant Post offices between 1840 and 1876, at the Istanbul National Stamp Exhibition, where he was awarded a Large Vermeil Medal. He won his first Gold Medal in Spain in 1990 and the National Grand Prix in Turkey in 1997, earned his participation in the FIP Championship Class at Philexfrance in 1999, and won the Grand Prix d’Honneur at Espana 2004 in Valencia.
Davit Franco was a TFDF accredited national juror, served on the TFDF Board of Directors, and was one of the founders of the Turkish Philatelic Academy. He was a member of the European Academy of Philately (AEP), which honoured him with the European Award for Philatelic Merit in 2004, as well as the Club de Monte-Carlo and the Royal Philatelic Society London (RPSL).
May he rest in peace.
[Story and photo credit: Turkish Philatelic Academy]
The 30-year quest to catch a national records thief
The following is a summary of a short story published today on the BBC website by David Wallace Lockhart, BBC Scotland correspondent.
Dr Alan Borthwick has spent 30 years uncovering how thousands of historical documents from Scotland’s National Records (NRS) ended up in Canada. The person responsible was Prof. David Stirling Macmillan, a historian and archivist with a fascination for postage stamps and postmarks. His removals began in 1949 and continued until 1980, when he was caught taking a document. At the time, staff assumed it was an isolated incident, but Macmillan had systematically taken letters, often mundane but featuring unique seals and postmarks.
After moving to Canada in 1968, Macmillan’s collection was later found in Trent University’s archives. In 2012, Dr Borthwick identified thousands of these documents as belonging to NRS. His painstaking efforts led to their return and reintegration into Scotland’s archives.
NRS chief Alison Byrne described the scale of the loss as “unprecedented.” Despite the breach of trust, Borthwick takes satisfaction in restoring Scotland’s historical records. Today, the archives are protected with CCTV, ensuring such removals cannot happen again. While the stolen documents are now safe, Borthwick reflects on the time spent solving this mystery.
Read the complete article here: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ce8v7rr8gj2o
Photo: A letter from a Scot living in Madeira, stolen from the NRS archive by Prof Macmillan.
[Photo credit: NRS, BBC]
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BOSTON 2026: Additional Boston 2026 Show Hotels Contracted
Two additional properties have signed on to become official show hotels for Boston 2026 World Expo.
“Details took a bit longer than expected to work out,” said Boston 2026 Executive Director Mark Butterline, “But the addition of these hotels helps round out our eight hotel offerings to attendees with discounted prices ranging from $129 to $333 per night plus tax.”
Both the Boston Marriott Newton and Boxborough Regency Hotel & Convention Center are in the greater Boston suburbs, 11 and 27 miles respectively from the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center and offer free parking. Visitors planning to drive to the region will find them especially convenient as they are off major highways with plenty of restaurants and attractions nearby. Residents of these communities take advantage of low-cost parking at train and light rail stations throughout the area and commute into the city.
Boston 2026 President Yamil Kouri reminds show-goers, “We encourage visitors to make reservations through our web site as early as possible to avoid disappointment. Each property only has a limited number of rooms available at the special reduced price. Reservations can be changed based on availability closer to the show or cancelled within 72 hours of its starting date without penalty.”
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 complete press release here.
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