Trip Report
This is Ray, reporting from the Orange Line train, en route home from the 12th International Philatelic Exhibition in the United States. It was an incredible, if slightly overwhelming, show! There were over 1,000 displays spread through the hall at a show that lasted over a week. Unfortunately, I was only able to attend today, but that was offset by the joy of spending the time with Danny.
We found three impressive displays about the Holocaust (one about mail from Auschwitz, from employees and different types of prisoners, one about Westerbork transit camp, and one about the rise and fall of Jews in Germany). I also enjoyed several exhibits on hyperinflation (from the philatelic perspective), airmail during World War II, a delightful story about someone in WWI dropping a letter to his mom as he flew over his hometown in California, an exhibit of stamps from an Olympics event at a German POW camp for Polish officers, an exhibit on how WWII impacted the Swedish mail system, and many exhibits on mail from occupied countries during WWII.
It was my first stamp show and I enjoyed seeing familiar kinds of passion, camaraderie, and appreciation for history.
The Numbers Gram
by Doug "MPC WIZZARD" Bell
I like radar notes. This radar from the Talks collection is remarkable. It is on a note with a nine digit serial number!
The odds of finding a radar on a nine-digit note are the same as an eight-digit note, but the only nine digit serials among military notes is on Allied military marks.
There are 10,000 radars in each 100,000,000 note block of eight-digit serials. A note starting with 0566 has only one radar: 0566-6650.
With nine-digit serials you can have the same 0566 start but there are ten radars (0566-0-6650 thru 0566-9-6650). So there are 100,000 radars in a block of 1,000,000,000 notes.
Seminar News
The American Numismatic Association has confirmed that the entire slate of military classes will be held this summer! The four are Detecting Counterfeit World Paper Money (instructed by Joe Boling), MPC Boot Camp (mini seminar instructed by Fred Schwan) and World War II Military Numismatics (instructed by Fred Schwan and Joe Boling).
Significantly, all of the classes have spaces available meaning that you can attend a class or two or even three classes! These possibilities are being facilitated by important news from the military numismatics scholarship committee.
Kathy Freeland, chair of the committee, has announced that in addition to tuition, room and board, scholarships will now include travel reimbursement of up to $200 for North American travel and $500 for travel from outside North America.
Furthermore additional scholarships are now available for as long as funds and seats are available!! Contact Kathy now.
Editorial
It is pandemonium at Gram HQ as we prepare the annual special edition for D-Day. We have received several submissions of D-Day material and we would like more! Of course The Boss is keeping up the pressure as we simultaneously prepare for the Summer Seminar.
Mail Call
The MPCGram welcomes letters from readers. Letters should be relevant to military numismatics. Letters may be edited. Senders must be known to the Gram and names (actual or "Internet") will be used.
Team,
As I mentioned at MPC Fest 2026, I'd like to start a Military Numismatic subreddit. I have a document explaining what Reddit is, why we should have a subreddit, and brainstorming for creating one.
Feel free to forward to other folks, but I'd like to polish this product before sharing it with the masses in the MPC Gram.
Thanks,
— Dave Marble
Dear Dave,
I love the idea. As we have some preliminary correspondence on this topic, you know I am new to reddit. For your reference my user is u/MilitaryWaterMarc and a couple of weeks ago I created the subreddit r/Reichslotterie as a "test drive" of a vague topic on the platform. So far, no participation but as I have read these things take time to establish. As I am beginning to see, it is the cross posting of topics that drive the traffic to the more vague communities.
I really like your idea of creating a r/Militarynumismatics (or r/MPCFest or r/MPCGram or whatever). Such a subreddit would give our established community a home, a means to promote the Fest/Gram/Military Numismatics Course at ANA and platform to drive traffic to our respective and related subreddits. In my short time on this platform I am observing that it is the power of the cross posting that drives discussion and traffic. To the extent we follow each other and crosspost to the r/Militarynumismatics community, this will have excellent potential of sucking some new characters into our circle.
I will join your subreddit and would appreciate knowing who else in the group is out there and what they are doing.
You have my support.
Rock On!
— Marcus
Dear Gram,
As a frequent redditor who posts in the numismatic field, I like the idea, but . . .
You will attract more attention by flooding the already established numismatic subs with military topics than creating one dedicated to military numismatics.
This was tried with short snorters and quickly fizzled but short snorters in r/papermoney are usually very well received.
Avoid r/currency. The mods there are unpleasant people.
— Jim Downey
Training Schedule (calendar)
2026
In this section, the MPGram lists events that are likely to be of special interest to collectors who are interested in MPC and other type of military numismatic items. We do not list "routine" coin shows where a collector might find a few items by chance. However, if we know that some Festers or Gramsters will be there we will list that same show in the hope of promoting fellowship. Send us your reports.
ANA Summer Seminar (Boling counterfeit paper course): 20-25 Jun ANA Summer Seminar (WWII course): 27 Jun-2 July ANA World's Fair of Money® - 25-29 Aug, Pittsburgh
Please help us fill in the dates for events listed and give us any additional events that might conflict. Thank you very much.
MPCFest sponsors
Joe and Louise Boling, Mike Buckley, Steve Fahrlander, Ray Feller family, Dave Frank, Kathy Freeland, Loretta Freyser, Al Glaser, Dave Hunsicker, Brett Irick, Jennifer and Eric Kibbey (dba Camelot Coins), Harold Kroll, Bill Myers.
MPCFest is possible because of the generous support of its sponsors.
Gram Exchange
Do you have something for sale (or trade)? Are you looking for something for your collection? You can offer items here in the Gram or list specific items that you need.
FOR SALE
Send your text and images (!) to the editor for inclusion in the Gram Exchange. Please send the images in jpeg format with each image in a separate file.
List your items for sale here for FREE
Austrian and German Notgeld
A grouping of 317 pieces of Austrian (281) and German (36) pieces of Notgeld in excellent condition. All notes are in protective three pocket pages. Inventory pages with descriptions of some of the local issuing localities are also included.
Available for $600 (less than 2 dollars for each note) US shipping included.
Roger Urce (stjasele@gmail.com)
WANTED
Wanted to Buy [WTB] / In Search of [ISO] $10 Series 1934A North Africa silver certificate with the altered blue seal discussed in October 2022 MPCGram by Larry Smulczenski (Saturski #13) and covered in May/June 2008 SPMC article written by Peter Huntoon and Jim Downey. Please contact Andy Conroy (andyqconroy@gmail.com)