Collecting postcards provides great insight on nation’s history

This patriotic postcard contains a pre-written nationalistic poem.

By Jesse Robitaille It all started in 1977, when 10 postcard-collecting enthusiasts established the Toronto Postcard Club (TPC). The club meets monthly in North York, where for almost 40 years its significant influence and contribution has helped Canadian deltiology progress to where it is today. Made up of nearly 300 dedicated members from the world over, the TPC serves the collecting interests of many deltiologists. And those interests are varied, said TPC President George Sachs, adding that collectors can enjoy both the front and back sides of cards, ranging from topics like geographic areas to industries or animals. Most importantly, Sachs said, postcards provide an invaluable look into the history of the nation. Continue reading →

Shows are great for the business

There’s no business like show business... While this popular phrase is borrowed from the 1954 movie of the same name and the famous song in the stage musical, Annie Get Your Gun, given it’s “awards season” in the ‘show’ business, I think it’s also timely to shine the light on stamp shows. Since joining the Trajan team, I have been making a concerted effort to attend as many stamp and coin shows as possible, and, I have become a fan of the shows for many good reasons. Continue reading →

Stamps and collectors made for a fun time as editor

After nearly 25 years at Trajan Publishing, nearly half of those as editor of CSN, this is my last column. A fairly long run, considering that I originally hadn’t planned on spending more than a year, or two at most, before going back to regular journalism. I still find it hard to believe that it was 1990 when I first wandered into the office of Trajan. A tiny cramped space compared to now, we had just expanded and you had to walk across the hall to find the second half of the office. We solved that when a guy sent in by the landlord came in and literally knocked a ragged hole in the wall between the two bays. A few months later he came back and installed a wood frame, but that wall was to stand for more than a decade. Continue reading →

Flag anniversary marked by first-ever fabric stamp

The 50th anniversary of the flag is marked with Canada’s first cloth stamp.

Canada’s first-ever fabric stamp is being issued to mark the 50th anniversary of the Canadian flag, on Feb. 15, 2015. The $5 stamp is printed on a specialized satin rayon fabric, applied to a paper backer using adhesives and silicones. The backer is similar to, but thicker, than that used on most self-adhesive stamps. The material is produced by Wausau Coated Products, based in Wisconsin. The design is simple, a large Canadian flag, with the dates 1965-2015 in the lower left corner. The stamp also includes security features which glow when viewed under an ultra-violet light. The high-value stamp is being issued on a souvenir sheet, and on an uncut press sheet. The press sheet is signed by Joan O’Malley, the person who sewed the first prototype of the Canadian flag. Continue reading →

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