Category Archives: Top Story

With undying enthusiasm, philatelists from across Canada made the annual pilgrimage to the nation’s capital this May for the Ottawa RA Centre Philatelic Exhibition, commonly referred to as Orapex. It was the 57th consecutive gathering since the show was founded in 1961, and this year’s two-day bourse and exhibition was nothing short of special, according... Continue reading →

The first step in preserving your hard-earned philatelic collection is knowing your enemies. The myriad of problems collectors can encounter in conserving their collections – including why they’re happening and how to solve them – was highlighted in a presentation at the recent National Postage Stamp and Coin Show by Bank of Canada Museum conservator... Continue reading →

The National Postage Stamp and Coin Show set a new record for attendance this April, when more than 1,000 collectors gathered for the biannual event in Mississauga. The show returned to the Greater Toronto Area on April 7-8 for the fifth time since 2015, when Trajan Media took over what was then known as the... Continue reading →

The designation bestowed upon Canada Post’s first-day locations is meant to be an honour, but some collectors are concerned about the Crown corporation’s apparent lack of promotion. The first-day location for the recent Flowers issue was Waterdown, Ont., which is near the Royal Botanical Gardens; however, according to collector and North Toronto Stamp Club webmaster Leon... Continue reading →

A handful of Canadian illustrators will be commemorated on Canada Post’s next issue, which is slated for release on April 5 at OCAD University in Toronto. Highlighting five talented Canadians whose work can be found on book covers, posters, magazines, newspapers and even postage stamps, this new issue features some of Canada’s most successful and prolific illustrators. Continue reading →

A complete set of eight imperforate pairs from the King George V Admiral Issue and an imperforate pair of 1916 War Tax stamps highlighted the recent sale of the John Smallman Collection by Eastern Auctions. Offered as the first lot in the Feb. 23 sale, the set contained eight imperforate pairs ranging in denomination from four... Continue reading →

“NEVER mark on the back of a stamp ‘FAKE’. This is a requirement by eBay for sellers that even ‘might’ believe their item is a fake. Problem is that sellers very often cannot tell if their item is a fake or not. They often do not have the specialized knowledge that would make them 100%... Continue reading →

Weeks before the cauldrons are lit for the 2018 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in South Korea, Canada Post unveiled five stamps honouring some of Canada’s most accomplished athletes. Dubbed “Women in Winter Sports,” the new issue commemorates six female athletes across five Permanent stamps, including Sharon and Shirley Firth (cross-country skiing); Sonja Gaudet (wheelchair... Continue reading →

The New York reporter who investigated and authored a book on the intriguing story surrounding the world’s most famous stamp – the British Guiana one-cent magenta – will be speaking at the National Postage Stamp and Coin Show on April 7. James Barron is author of The One-Cent Magenta: Inside the Quest to Own the... Continue reading →

The John Smallman Collection of the Admiral Issue of Canada will be offered in a 646-lot sale by New Brunswick’s Eastern Auctions this February. Described by auctioneers as “spectacular,” the Smallman Collection was assembled throughout four decades and includes extensive examples of strong lathework and imprint multiples. “Looking at famous Admiral collections of the past... Continue reading →