The 57th edition of Orapex—the Ottawa RA Centre Philatelic Exhibition—will return to Ottawa today for the beginning of the two-day bourse and exhibition.
Organized by volunteers from the RA Stamp Club; the Amicale des philatélistes de l’Outaouais; and the Ottawa Philatelic Society, among others, Orapex is held at the RA Centre on 2451 Riverside Dr. This year’s show will recognize the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Armistice, which ended the Great War, with the theme of the military. The show also features a bourse with about 40 philatelic dealers from across the country. Be sure to visit Canadian Stamp News as well as Coin and Stamp Supplies at tables 38 and 39 on the bourse, which will be open from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. today and from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. tomorrow. Admission and parking are both free.
“We are hoping to see a number of military exhibits, including postal history, postcards and thematics,” said Orapex chair Michael Powell, who added this year’s honouree is Mike Street, co-ordinator of the British North America Philatelic Society (BNAPS) book department and long-time philatelist.
COMPETITIVE EXHIBITION
In addition to a 40-dealer bourse, Orapex also boasts a highly acclaimed national-level competitive exhibition.
The show has been a part of the American Philatelic Society (APS) World Series of Philately since 2010, when Canadian national-level shows were first granted approval. The winner of the multi-frame Grand Award at this year’s Orapex will be invited to exhibit at the APS StampShow this Aug. 9-12 in Columbus, Ohio. The winner of the single-frame Grand Award will be invited to the APS AmeriStamp Expo, scheduled for March 15-17, 2019 in Mesa, Arizona.
The panel of judges for this year’s Orapex includes:
- Chief Judge and Chair of Jury Charles Verge, of Toronto Ont.;
- Ed Kroft, of Vancouver, B.C.;
- Rob Lunn, of Nasonworth, N.B.;
- Dick Malott, of Ottawa, Ont.;
- Jane Sodero, of Dothan, Alabama; and
- apprentice judge David McLaughlin, of Pickering, Ont.
| FRAMES | EXHIBIT TITLE | CLASS |
| 1 | Welcome to Orapex 2018 | Filler |
| 2-9 | In Defence of the Border: Canadian Military Mails 1629-1895 | Court of Honour |
| 10 | Canadian Military Hospitals at Sea | Court of Honour |
| 11-13 | 13th Canadian Jamboree CJ17 | Non-competitive |
| 14 | Sewell Camp | One frame |
| 15 | Eyes on Stamps: More than Meets the Eye | One frame |
| 16-20 | Vended Postage Automation | Traditional |
| 21-28 | The Great War Internment Camps of Canada | Display |
| 29-38 | Camp Borden 1916-2016 | Postal history |
| 39-43 | RAF Ferry Command (Dorval): Military Mail to and from Global War Fronts | Postal history |
| 44-48 | The Returned Letter Offices of the United Kingdom – The Exclusively Metropolitan Office Era: 1811-1873 | Postal history |
| 49-58 | The Development of Airmail within Canada by Pioneer Flights with Cachets or Labels, and by Semi-Official Air Post, 1918-1934 | Aerophilately |
| 59-68 | The Use of the Pitney-Bowes Model H Postal Meter in Canada (1929-1957) | Traditional |
| 69-73 | Beavers: Nature’s Engineers | Display |
| 74-78 | Gold Coast | Traditional |
| 79-86 | Give Wings to Your Mail | Aerophilately |
| 87-88 | The Fighting Newfoundlander | Thematic |
| 89-96 | St.Pierre et Miquelon, Le Type Groupe 1892-1908 | Traditional |
| 97-101 | World War 1 – Messages Home in Silk | Picture postcards |
| 102-103 | The Victoria Cross | Thematic |
| 104 | Correspondance de Guerre d’Emile Martin (1914-1916) | Traditional |
| 105-109 | WW1 Canadian Army Nursing Sisters Serving Overseas | Display |
| 110-117 | The French Revolution, From the Ancient Regime to the End of the First Republic | Experimental |
| 118 | Diamond Marks – Great Britain | One frame |
| 119-121 | Censorship and Much More France 1939-1945 | Postal history |
| 122-129 | Canadian Government Postal History & Postmarks (1841-1939) | Postal history |
| 130-133 | Face to Face – The Story of Masks on Stamps and Covers | Topical |
| 134 | Canadian Merchant Navy July 1943 – Sept 1945 | One frame |
| 135-142 | Hong Kong Wartime Airmail September 1939 to December 1941 | Aerophilately |
| 143 | Gregory Prosser, Engraver – Legitimate and Illegitimate Legacy | One frame |
| 144-148 | The Semi-Official Proofs, Stamps & Covers of Commercial Airways | Aerophilately |
| 149 | Canada – 1985 – 50c Parliament Booklet Usages | One frame |
| 150-153 | Military Toronto 1812-1946 | Postal history |
| 154 | Wildlife Conservation Stamps | One frame |
| 155-162 | Salesman | Display |
| 163 | Welcome to Orapex 2018 | Filler |
| 164-166 | Civil and Military Censorship of India-Canada Mail: 1939-45 | Postal history |
| 167-174 | WWII Postal Protocol: Mail Violations and Advisements | Postal history |
| 175 | RA Stamp Club frame | Non-competitive |
| 176 | Ottawa Philatelic Society frame | Non-competitive |
TODAY’S SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
| TIME | EVENT | LOCATION |
| 9:30 a.m. | Society tables open Oxfam auction booth open |
Chartwell Lounge |
| 10 a.m. | Bourse opens | Curling rink |
| 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. | BNAPS Christmas Study Group meeting “Christmas in May”presentations on various British North America Christmas topics |
Courtside A |
| 1 p.m.-2:30 p.m. | l’Académie québécoise d’études philatéliques presentation Jean-Charles Morin presents “Les mésaventures d’un mésaventurier” |
Courtside B |
| 2 p.m.-3 p.m. | BNAPS Military Mail Study Group meeting Mike Street presents “Correspondence Home from an Ancaster Doctor in Belgium and France during World War I” |
Courtside A |
| 3 p.m.-4 p.m. | BNAPS St. Lawrence Seaway Regional Group meeting Cimon Morin presents “Mail Transportation in Quebec, 1763-1851: Postal Routes and Mail Contracts” |
Courtside B |
| 4 p.m.-5 p.m | Earle Covert presents “The Ongoing Evolution of Canada’s Illustrated Permit Mail” | Courtside A |
| 6 p.m. | Bourse closes | Curling rink |
| 6:30 p.m. | Awards reception $15 tickets available at welcome desk |
Chartwell Lounge |
For more information, visit orapex.ca.