UK Collector, Chris King RDP Hon. FRPSL is amongst the Award Winners this year for philatelic achievements.
The Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum has announced the 2025 Smithsonian Philatelic Achievement Award recipients, Gordon Edwin Eubanks Jr., Christopher Miles Bertram King and Patrick Valère Maria Jérôme Maselis. They will be honored at a gala at the museum Saturday, Nov. 8.
The Smithsonian Philatelic Achievement Award (SPAA) was established in 2002 to honour and celebrate living individuals for outstanding lifetime achievement in the field of philately. This achievement may include original research that significantly advances the understanding of philately, exceptional service to the philatelic community or sustained promotion of philately to the benefit of current and future collectors.
“The Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum is honoured to present this esteemed award to such accomplished and influential individuals from around the world,” said Elliot Gruber, director of the museum. “Winners from the United States, United Kingdom and Belgium demonstrate the global presence of lifetime achievers in the field of philately.”
The SPAA award medallion is a 3-inch, gold-plated bronze disc depicting a sunburst with eight straight and eight wavy rays. Derived from the family coat of arms of James Smithson, founding benefactor of the Smithsonian Institution, the sunburst became the Institution’s official seal June 3, 1966, and is incorporated into the official flag flown by Smithsonian facilities and Smithsonian-sponsored expeditions throughout the world. As such, it is a universally recognized symbol of enlightenment and learning that links the Smithsonian’s history with its future. The medallion is suspended from a grosgrain neck ribbon in Smithsonian blue and yellow.