Garfield Portch demonstrated the machine with the massive $10 blue whale stamp. Blowing the stamp up revealed microprinting and a number of fluorescing details. Moving up the edge of the stamp, he revealed how the software makes it possible not only to count the perfs, but to actually make measurements. In a second demonstration, two... Continue reading →
We sometimes imply that there is a sort of natural evolution; that the collector starts out just accumulating, then eventually develops a plan, and finally becomes serious. At that point they start thinking about publishing and exhibiting. I don’t think that is always the case. I know some very experienced collectors who sort of do... Continue reading →
“For the first time, anyone who owns a smartphone or tablet will also be able to enjoy the digital side of stamps,” she said, “with an enhanced view of a physical, real-world environment augmented by computer-generated ‘virtual elements’ such as sound, video, 3D graphics, web-based information or GPS data.” Losier also pointed out that the... Continue reading →
Yet I remember very clearly a set of British stamps issued in 1966 to mark the 900th anniversary of the Battle of Hastings and the Norman Conquest. Granted those stamps, based on the famous Bayeux Tapestries, with scenes of arms, armour, and combat, had a lot more appeal for a young boy, but I think... Continue reading →
Frankly, I wondered if we would see similar changes in the regular stamp lineup. The truth is, stamp programs have some flexibility, but the 2013 issues were well on the road to being settled months ago. What I do see are a couple of interesting issues such as motorcycles and ghost stories, which seem a... Continue reading →
Canada Post’s 2013 stamp program runs the gamut, with everything from motorcycles to pets. At the end of May, Canada Post unveiled the program, although in some cases details were somewhat sketchy. “The diversity of Canada is reflected in this year’s stamp program, offering a stamp every Canadian can identify with, whether it is history... Continue reading →
Weather permitting, we played football in backyards, inventing ways to play two-on-one, or even two-on-three, running the length of the yard for a down, then turning around and running the other way for a touchdown. For me, life was simple and Russ Jackson was the king. Then, over the years, something happened. When I moved... Continue reading →
The CFL started out in the 1880s as the Canadian Rugby Football Union; the game was originally known as rugby. The league evolved over the years, as did the game. While Canadian football is now more like United States gridiron football, it retains several rugby traditions such as only three down, a larger field, and... Continue reading →
That short history lesson reminds us that something we have come to take for granted really is quite a recent innovation. So it is nice to see a stamp that reminds us that this part of our identity is so very new; much newer than Confederation. I often joke that Canadians often define themselves in... Continue reading →
Tommy Douglas, the person best associated with Medicare and a person voted the Greatest Canadian by CBC viewers in 2004, is the subject of a new stamp issue. As a young boy Douglas developed an infection that would have cost him his leg. He was able to receive medical treatment only after his father met... Continue reading →