Category Archives: Top Story

People heading to Halifax, N.S. this September for BNAPEX, the annual convention of the British North America Philatelic Society, can expect to receive “an abundance of Eastern hospitality.” That’s the commitment of this year’s co-chairs: Gary Steele, George Lafontaine and Jeff Parks. All three are members of the Nova Scotia Stamp Club, which is co-hosting... Continue reading →

Philately in Canada is gaining momentum with new collectors embracing the hobby, as observed at the June 11 annual general meeting of the Royal Philatelic Society of Canada (RPSC). “I’ve been noticing over the last several months I am getting quite a few new customers,” dealer Christopher McFetridge said as he shared his “observation” during... Continue reading →

Two books meticulously documenting the history of the Quebec postal service are now available through the Société d’histoire postale du Québec (SHPQ). They are written by Cimon Morin, who worked for 30 years as manager of the Canadian Postal Archives. The first of these books is focused on the post offices that were established along the... Continue reading →

Orapex 2023 not only drew “high-calibre” exhibits, but also crushed past attendance and set sales records for stamp dealers during the May 6-7 show at Ottawa’s Nepean Sportsplex. “Orapex 2023 was very successful in terms of the general public attending, dealer satisfaction, great exhibits, and well-attended philatelic meetings and open-to-the-public philatelic presentations,” said committee chair... Continue reading →

A comprehensive collection on St. Pierre and Miquelon formed over decades by prolific author James R. Taylor will be featured in Eastern Auctions’ May 25-27 sale. “James Taylor is an authority on the subject,” according to Yohann Tanguay, Eastern’s chief describer. “Many years of diligent collecting and research by Taylor have culminated in several gold-medal... Continue reading →

This year, the Toronto-based security printer Colour Innovations will mark its 35th anniversary, including nearly a decade bidding on Canadian stamp-printing contracts. The firm previously supplied prepress services to Canada Post before serving as a subcontractor to one of the Crown corporation’s main printers beginning in 2003. More recently, in 2015, Colour Innovations began offering... Continue reading →

With nearly 40,000 followers across his social media accounts, one philatelic influencer has propelled the hobby into the 21st century with an “extreme” take on collecting stamps. Graham Beck grew up in South Africa, where he collected new issues with his childhood friends, before moving to the United States, where he now lives in New Jersey.... Continue reading →

The first of four sales of Ron Brigham’s international Grand Prix-winning Province of Canada collection, the last material held by the late philatelist before his death last August, rewrote the record books in the days leading up to spring. The March 17 sale offered 163 lots centring on the three-pence and five-cent “Beaver” issues (Scott #1... Continue reading →

With the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic spreading illness, fear and uncertainty, the cancellation of virtually all in-person events spurred two U.S. collectors to fill the social void in the philatelic community. Trying to match the camaraderie of mingling with people at stamp shows, Michael Cortese and Charles Epting launched Conversations with Philatelists, a... Continue reading →

Exhibitors, judges and organizers continue to debate the pros and cons of virtual exhibiting after more than 33 months of the COVID-19 pandemic, which upended exhibitions from the local to the international level. While in-person exhibitions returned around the world in 2022, virtual competitions filled the void through much of 2020 and 2021. After decades... Continue reading →