Stamp collecting is a lot of things: a chance to build a collection, a source of knowledge, a way to compete, a way to invest, and even a business for some. But first and foremost it is a diversion and source of pleasure for thousands of Canadians. Continue reading →
Eighteen exhibitors came home with gold medals, following the Royal 2014 Royale, the annual convention of the Royal Philatelic Society of Canada, held in Halifax, N.S., May 30 to June 1. Continue reading →
It appears that 2014 will go down in the records as a year of auctions. Continue reading →
It pays to look closely at stamps. The example of the two-cent large queen shown at left is a normal example, while the stamp at right has an elusive stitch watermark, and is worth substantially more.
A hallmark of early paper making processes, it rarely appears on modern stamps, but is eagerly sought after by collectors specializing in stamps of the Victorian era. They can also be illusive, but their presence often raises the value of a stamp dramatically. Continue reading →
I think that’s what makes the one-cent magenta so special is the story. Found by a young collector, seized by the French government for war reparations, and most recently owned by a convicted murderer, the stamp comes with a great story. Continue reading →
When a new record was set for the one-cent magenta, bidders were able to follow auctioneer David Redden online, including some dealers who only wanted to observe.
Today a collector can sit at home and view, and even bid on stamps without even having to put on a pair of shoes. Continue reading →
The expertising service is on the front line of the war against those people who alter stamps, often seeking windfall profits as a result of some of this tampering. I’m not talking about someone who soaks a stamp to clean off grime, or even may use an eraser to eliminate a tiny pencil mark. There... Continue reading →
Four more living Canadians have been honoured on stamps, this time honouring “difference-makers,” to be issued May 22. The stamps depict Rick Hansen, Michael J. Fox, Sheila Watt-Cloutier, and Louise Arbour. Hansen, who became famous for his Man in Motion World Tour, later established the Rick Hansen Foundation. Fox has committed his life to campaigning... Continue reading →
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 →