By Rob Stickan
The Cobourg Stamp Club held its 50th consecutive show and sale, which was opened by special dignitaries, this September in the southern Ontario town just east of Toronto.
Following its formation in the early ’60s, the club held its first Copex show in 1969 and has hosted a show every year since. In recent years, the annual show has been held at the Salvation Army Citadel, which has two large halls where collectors can attend a dealers’ bourse, browse several exhibits, bid on items in a silent auction or purchase items from a members’ consignment table.
This year, members also had several choices on exhibiting, from full multi-frame exhibits to single frames and one-pagers. Attendees voted on their favourite exhibit, and the winning exhibitor was awarded a club trophy.
Two show covers were also available for purchase. The first 100 covers were prepared in conjunction with the town of Cobourg, and 50 covers were given to the municipal offices of Mayor John Henderson. This cover displays a photo of Cobourg’s “Father of Confederation,” James Cockburn, and is franked with a customized Picture Postage stamp of the Cobourg coat of arms. A special 50th-anniversary Copex cancel is also applied.
A second cover displays two photos, including one of St. Peter’s Anglican Church, where the early Copex shows were held, and another of the Salvation Army Citadel, where the shows are now held. This cover is also franked with a Picture Postage stamp showing the historic post office of Cobourg, which was demolished in the ’60s. Again, this cover is cancelled with the 50th-anniversary Copex cancel. This cover is still available for sale. Contact club member Rob Stickan at chevy4life@hotmail.com for more information.
The Cobourg club meets twice a month on the second and fourth Wednesday at the Cobourg Salvation Army Citadel, where upwards of 45 members gather to trade and talk about all things philatelic. Meetings start around 6 p.m. and usually end shortly after 8 p.m. All stamp collectors are welcome to attend.
Rob Stickan is a member of the Cobourg Stamp Club.