Over 70 members attend virtual AGM
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 the meeting’s open forum. “While I cannot be absolutely sure, I am basing this on what some of my (customers) have told me, but in others, I am surmising it based on what is being bought.”
McFetridge, owner of Brixton Chrome stamps and auctions based in Saint John, N.B., told the 70-plus members in attendance he is optimistic about the state of philately in Canada.
“I am doing a very, very brisk business on modern Canada, especially varieties, and I am assuming based on how popular they are and how much they are realizing in my auctions that they have to be new collectors,” said McFetridge, who was also elected to the RPSC board as a new director.
“My sense is the more established collectors probably would either have (the material) or just wouldn’t be bidding as high as they are for the material that’s been sold. I think that is very encouraging.
“One of the reasons I chose to focus on modern was because I believe it’s the only way I can get a sense of the state of the hobby. I can see who is coming in on the ground floor.”
RPSC president Sam Chiu agreed with the optimistic observation.
“I see a lot of new faces coming out to the shows,” he added.
With pandemic measures totally lifted during the past year, show organizers throughout Canada are reporting record attendance while dealers are observing new collectors. Show organizers are also reporting brisk attendance at the youth tables.
“I was sitting next to the youth table at the Edmonton Stamp Club show and there was a bunch of kids and they were passionate about collecting,” Chiu observed. “We need to plant the seed in young people and I believe, after they go through the stages of life, they will come back to the hobby.”
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2 Comments
You mean Saint John, N.B. don’t you? “St. John, N.B.” is misnaming the port city. And I don’t think you mean St. John’s in Newfoundland and Labrador. I thought most Ontario types had learned the correct spelling by now….apparently not.
— David Williams, president of the SAINT JOHN Stamp Club.
Thank you, David—good catch. I’ve updated the online story, and we’ll issue a correction in the next issue of CSN. – Jesse