Judges at ORAPEX 2025 in Ottawa evaluate competitive exhibits at the long-running show. (CSN file photo)
Concerns about the future of exhibit judging are once again resurfacing within the Canadian philatelic community, as long-standing warnings about a shortage of qualified judges show little sign of easing. Continue reading →
Collectors in Canada and abroad competed for standout material offered by the country’s auction houses in 2025, including Part I of the Camellia PLC Collection, one of the strongest offerings of Pence, Cents and Large Queen issues in recent years. Among the highlights was this used block of four 1857 six-pence grey violets on thick, hard wove paper, which realized $72,000.
Canada’s philatelic community closed out 2025 with renewed energy, as collectors, dealers and organizations demonstrated resilience and enthusiasm in a year marked by both standout successes and notable challenges. From landmark auctions to strong show attendance, the hobby showed clear signs of momentum across the country. Auctions played a central role in shaping the year.... Continue reading →
Lot 10, a circa-1879 Goodall compound die proof in dark blue on thin yellowish hard bond paper, realized $48,000, confirming its status as one of the most important intact Goodall proofs in private hands.
The first installment of Eastern Auctions’ Camellia PLC Collection has landed – and the results are already being talked about as one of the strongest showings for Canadian classics in years. Continue reading →
The cover for the third letter Mary Gillispie received from the Circleville letter writer in April 1977 features a return address of the Westfall school superintendent.
In 1977, the quiet Ohio town of Circleville found its daily mail transformed from routine to menace. What began as a single envelope soon spiralled into a chilling campaign that would haunt residents for nearly two decades. The anonymous writer’s letters accused neighbours of affairs, crimes and betrayals, each message delivered with unnerving precision. The... Continue reading →
A two-cent rose cover mailed from Oshawa, Ont. to Port Colborne, Ont. on March 24, 1866 and addressed to Pte. John Luke of the Volunteer Militia is offered as Lot 130. Only seven two-cent soldier letters are known, and just three bear a two-cent adhesive.
A remarkable group of Canadian postal history treasures will cross the auction block this month as Eastern Auctions presents the Camellia PLC Collection – Canada Part I, an extraordinary offering of classic material set for Nov. 22 in Bathurst, N.B. Among the sale’s headline pieces are some of the most celebrated items in Canadian philately,... Continue reading →
A Hamas-issued stamp commemorates the child Muhammad al-Durrah.
In a world where postage often reflects politics, new research highlights how Palestinian stamps have long served as tools of identity, defiance, and propaganda. The latest issue of Canadian Stamp News examines how, amid the ongoing Middle East conflict, postage imagery continues to shape narratives of statehood and sovereignty. Continue reading →
A circa 1879 engraved “Goodall” compound die proof described as a “highly desirable and sought-after” example has a catalogue value of $40,000-plus in Extremely Fine (XF) condition as Lot 10.
Collectors are gearing up for one of the most anticipated Canadian philatelic auctions in years as Eastern Auctions prepares to open bidding on the Camellia PLC Collection on Nov. 22. The single-session sale of 265 lots promises to deliver museum-level rarities, including proofs, essays and pristine examples of Canada’s Pence, Cents and Large Queen issues.... Continue reading →
The 1897 Maple Leaf issue has English-only inscription.
Canada’s stamp story is as vast and varied as the country itself, and philatelist James R. Taylor takes readers on a sweeping journey in his latest column, The Great White North is a stamp collector’s Eden. From the very first Dominion issues of 1868 to the provincial classics of Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, and beyond, Taylor... Continue reading →
Anne and Peter, the children of late philatelist Ed Walton, stand by a full cart of material ready for donation to the North Toronto Stamp Club, of which the elder Walton was a long-time member. The material includes stamps and postal history from several countries, exhibits and research material, related correspondence and supplies. Photo via NTSC.
The North Toronto Stamp Club (NTSC) has received what its president calls a “major donation” from the family of a long-time member who passed away nearly two decades ago. The material, spanning half a dozen cartons, surfaced this summer after the collector’s widow recently died. Continue reading →
An 1893 eight-cent Small Queen cover features a squared circle hammer strike.
Squared circle postmarks are booming with collectors, offering a vast field of study, rising values and fresh discoveries. Originating in Britain in 1879 as an improvement on duplex handstamps, they took hold in Canada in the 1890s and span dozens of towns, multiple stamp issues and a spectrum of hammer rarities and coloured strikes. Continue reading →