A sure sign spring has sprung, the biannual National Postage Stamp and Coin Show will open its doors to the public tomorrow as the hobby season kicks into high gear.
This weekend, about 50 dealers will return to the Hilton Mississauga’s 9,000-square-foot Graydon Hall for the seventh time since the two-day show began in 2015. The bourse and exhibition hall will both open to the public each day at 10 a.m. before closing at 5 p.m. on March 23 and 4 p.m. the following day.
“This show brings people out, and it’s a venue people can easily reach through public transportation and their own cars,” said John Wilson, immediate past-president of the North Toronto Stamp Club (NTSC), which is hosting its 76th annual exhibition in conjunction with the two-day show.
“It’s a great location in terms of natural light – that’s something exhibitors really care about – and there’s a good selection of dealers.”
Dealers and exhibiting, Wilson added, “go hand in hand.”
The show’s venue is popular with show-goers for its bright natural light and high security.
Aside from the hobby related benefits, shows also offer unmatched camaraderie for collectors.
“People who know what I collect bring to those shows what I collect. I will have a parade of material to look through, and it’s something even eBay can’t match. Every time I go to a stamp show, I meet friends. It’s a very friendly hobby, and this show specifically attracts people from a wide geographic range,” said Wilson, who’s also the NTSC’s exhibition committee co-chair and historian.
“I’m always surprised meeting people at a local show who have come down from Montréal or even further afield.”
FREE PARKING
If you are attending the National Postage Stamp and Coin Show, parking at the Hilton Mississauga is free while at the show. The Hilton will be placing a notice on its parking meters listing the shows and events – including our own – that are exempt from having to pay parking. Instead of paying the meters, attendees of our show are asked to sign in with their license plate number on a sheet of paper at the show admission desk. Do not pay the fee at the hotel’s automated parking meters. There are no refunds from the hotel or show organizers.
THREE SEMINARS, YOUTH PROGRAM
Organizers are expecting this spring’s turnout to be the highest since the two-day show began in 2015.
The show this March will also feature a full slate of entertaining, engaging and educational seminars from leading hobby professionals as well as a handful of other family-friendly events.
Tomorrow at 2 p.m., Yvon Marquis, who has nearly six decades of numismatic experience, will discuss the valuation and sale of various types of collections.
On Sunday at 11 a.m., members of the NTSC will explore how to tell a story, which is the main challenge of one-page exhibiting, using three philatelic elements.
Later that day at noon, award-winning exhibitor and NTSC member Derwin Mak will discuss thematic collecting and exhibiting by exploring the U.S. Postal Service’s Batman and Wonder Woman stamps.
Also on Sunday, a free youth auction will be hosted at 1:30 p.m., when nearly 30 lots of philatelic and numismatic material will be offered to children aged 17 and under. Play money will be provided to all bidders, so there is no cost to participants.
There will be a free ‘Young Collectors’ auction held on Sunday at 1:30 p.m.
2019 FALL SHOW
The Fall 2019 National Postage Stamp and Coin Show will be held Sept. 7-8 at the same location, the Hilton Mississauga, which is located directly off Highway 401 on Mississauga Road.
As always, admission is $3 on Saturday and free on Sunday, and free on-site parking is available to show attendees.
For more information about the biannual show, which is hosted by Trajan Media, publisher of Canadian Stamp News and Canadian Coin News, visit stampandcoinshow.com.