Category Archives: Top Story

A 168-year-old Nova Scotia rarity formerly part of the iconic Dale-Lichtenstein collection is among nearly 800 lots set to cross the block during a two-session sale by Eastern Auctions this November. Described as being “in the finest quality attainable,” the imperforate one-shilling stamp (Scott #6b) issued by Nova Scotia in 1851 has a noteworthy provenance that includes the father-and-daughter collection of Alfred Lichtenstein and Louise Boyd Dale. “When it sold in 1968, it brought over three times its catalogue value,” said Yohann Tanguay, chief lot describer with the New Brunswick-based auction house. Continue reading →

A three-stamp set honouring Leonard Cohen were recently unveiled in the late singer’s hometown of Montréal by Canada Post. The veil was lifted on Sept. 20 at the Montréal Museum of Fine Arts – beneath a 21-storey mural of Cohen – only hours after Sony Music Canada revealed a “continuation of the master’s work” will be posthumously released in November. “Leonard was always deeply appreciative of his Canadian heritage and would have been moved by this honour from Canada Post,” said Robert Kory, Cohen’s manager, estate trustee and friend. Continue reading →

Falling only a week after another major philatelic event, the Fall 2019 National Postage Stamp and Coin Show returned to the Greater Toronto Area this September, offering a glimpse into the strength of the national market. The Sept. 7-8 “National Show” kicked off only six days after this year’s British North America Philatelic Society (BNAPS) convention closed in Canada’s capital region. Despite the tight schedule – and with less than a five-hour drive separating the two regions – both shows were well-attended. “I had a lot of customers coming in, and I still had a good show even though I had the big BNAPS show last weekend,” said dealer Bill Coates, owner of William Coates Philatelist, who has attended each National Show since it began in 2015. Continue reading →

With this June marking the 100th anniversary of the first transatlantic flight, the Canadian Aerophilatelic Society (CAS) worked alongside other philatelic groups in Newfoundland and Ireland to commemorate the centennial. With the aviation industry burgeoning, in June 1919, British pilots Captain John Alcock and Lieutenant Arthur Brown successfully completed the world’s first non-stop transatlantic flight. The duo flew a modified First World War-era Vickers Vimy bomber more than 3,000 kilometres from St. John’s, Nfld., to Clifden in County Galway, Ireland. “It was a very quick trip for me,” said CAS member Dave Bartlet, who along with CAS past president Chris Hargreaves co-ordinated a 100th anniversary re-enactment flight, complete with airmail souvenirs marking the milestone. Continue reading →

Toronto’s Vincent Graves Greene Philatelic Research Foundation is sponsoring and organizing a week of lectures and seminars to celebrate Stamp Collecting Month this October. From Oct. 11-20, working alongside the Fédération Internationale de Philatélie (FIP), Royal Philatelic Society London (RPSL) and Philatelic Specialists Society of Canada (PSSC), the Greene Foundation will offer a range of must-see philatelic events with a resounding international flavour. “There will be souvenir covers for each event franked with Picture Postage,” said Charles Verge, who’s a member of the invite-only PSSC and a Fellow of both the RPSL and Royal Philatelic Society of Canada (RPSC). Continue reading →

With paid memberships in an ongoing decline but honorary and life memberships holding strong, The Royal Philatelic Society of Canada (RPSC) is in peculiar financial straits. With about 300 honorary and life members throughout the past three years and another 1,200 paid members – a number that’s “slowly sinking,” according to RPSC Treasurer Stuart Keeley – the society isn’t bringing in any money from 20 per cent of its membership. This is at a time when The RPSC is reporting a $3,968 loss, although nearly $3,000 of that is from a recent inventory write-down. “Our membership is slowly declining, and those are the people who are paying,” said Keeley, who recently retired as a director of the society. “For life members and honorary members, we still have to send them The Canadian Philatelist and everything else, so it puts a strain on the financial.” Continue reading →

It was standing-room only this June for the annual general meeting (AGM) of “Canada’s national stamp club,” whose membership came out in droves to witness firsthand the recent changes to their group’s strategic plan. Tying into the plan’s underlying theme – “It’s Your Royal,” which was also one of the themes for this year’s convention – members of The Royal Philatelic Society of Canada (RPSC) were invited to ask questions, raise concerns and voice their opinions at the June 22 meeting. “My mandate, amongst others, has been to advocate for an inclusive society,” said RPSC President Ed Kroft, who came to the helm of the organization in 2017. Continue reading →

A yearly harbinger of summer, the annual convention of The Royal Philatelic Society of Canada (RPSC) welcomed back both sunshine and stamps this June. Beginning June 21 – the first day of summer – hundreds of collectors gathered in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) for the massive three-day show and exhibition co-hosted by the Bramalea Stamp Club, West Toronto Stamp Club and CSN. “This Royal had the best vibe of all the Royals I ever attended,” said Ingo Nessel, a member of The RPSC and Bramalea Stamp Club and president of the Philatelic Specialists Society of Canada (PSSC). Continue reading →

After 13 years as executive assistant of The Royal Philatelic Society of Canada (RPSC) plus another five with the Vincent Graves Greene Philatelic Research Foundation, Margaret Schulzke has retired from her roles effective July 1. Held by Schulzke since 2006 and 2001, respectively, the positions will be taken over by Lee Ann Stewart, who has spent 20 years as the senior executive assistant to the CEO of the Alzheimer Society of Ontario. “I decided to move forward into retirement so that I can give more time to the major values and interests in my life,” said Schulzke, who’s also a Fellow of The RPSC, adding “there’s always a need for volunteers; perhaps I’ll still be able to give a little help along the way.” Continue reading →

A sign of summer holidays for some philatelists, the annual Postal History Society of Canada (PHSC) Symposium is now in its third year. Once again, this year’s festivities are set to kick off this July in Hamilton, Ont. From the 15-dealer bourse and 120-frame exhibition hall inside the Hamilton Sheraton Hotel, the symposium – in the truest sense of the word – will venture out beyond Hamilton and into the Greater Toronto Area and Niagara Region. “It helps to put the smaller aspect of what we do in postal history within the entire context of the history and development of our country,” said PHSC Symposium co-chair Bill Longley, owner of Longley Auctions. Continue reading →