It took me a bit of searching to discover that Helvetia was really Switzerland. I also learned that some countries’ stamps were harder to find than others. While I ended up with dozens and dozens of Spanish definitives featuring Francisco Franco’s smiling face, my Portugal page had just two or three lonely stamps. Continue reading →
They may have little more than an accumulation of interesting stuff, but they probably consider it a collection. I think the hobby should be viewing these people not as aberrations, but as potential hobbyists. They should be welcomed into the hobby and given encouragement and information. Continue reading →
If these stamps convince some of these young people to step away from an electronic device and look at a real stamp as something worth owning, then they will be good for the hobby. Continue reading →
Apparently, in every area, Canadians overwhelmingly support Canada Post. Everyone likes the idea of replacing home delivery with community mailboxes. Even senior citizens, who often dread winter walks in icy weather, welcome a way to get out of the house. In fact, one Canadian was quoted as saying door-to-door delivery is unreasonable in this day... Continue reading →
Canada Post’s stand through all of this has been to point out that two-thirds of Canadians already don’t get home delivery so this is taking away a benefit unfairly given to some Canadians based solely on geography. Sort of similar to when residents of Toronto’s affluent Rosedale district were told that garbage collectors would no... Continue reading →
The United States Postal Service and Buffalo Fire Department are remembering that fateful night of Dec. 30, 1813, when a mixed force of around 1,400 British regulars, Canadian militia, and native warriors crossed over the river near Niagara. They landed at a place called Black Rock, dispersed a larger force of Americans, and chased them... Continue reading →
On top of all of this, postal historians and postmark collectors will have their own challenges as more local cancels vanish in the name of centralized sorting. I am sure Canada Post was only thinking about the bottom line, but it looks like 2014 will be an interesting year for collectors. Continue reading →
Perhaps the best news to come out of all of this is that the sale has been covered in literally dozens of Canadian mainstream publications, most of which would never consider stamp collecting newsworthy, except perhaps in a humour column. Continue reading →
Naysayers like to whine about how the stamp hobby is dying off, that there are no new collectors, and that there aren’t enough kids involved. I suggest that they should take some time and read some old philatelic periodicals. The early issues of CSN are filled with similar comments, dating back more than 30 years.... Continue reading →
On my second try I asked a simpler question. “After April 1, would a letter containing three 25-cent stamps and a 10-cent stamp be considered sufficient postage?” That seems simple enough. So far, the only answer I got was to ask me, “where would someone get those stamps?” Continue reading →