The 56th edition of Orapex—the Ottawa RA Centre Philatelic Exhibition—opens today in the nation’s capital.
The two-day show is being held May 6-7 at the RA Centre on 2451 Riverside Dr. in Ottawa, Ont. This year’s show theme is “Ships and Ship Mail – Building a Nation.” Admission and parking are free. The show’s bourse boasts about 40 dealers as well as nearly 150 frames of competitive exhibits. The weekend itinerary is also filled with society meetings, seminars and study groups.
For a full listing of dealers, click here. You can visit CSN this weekend for copies of the magazine as well as a range of philatelic supplies at Table Nos. 38-39.
| SATURDAY, MAY 6 | ||
| 10 a.m. | Show opens | Curling rink |
| 11 a.m.-noon | BNAPS Christmas Study Group meeting (group discussion about Santa letters and Canada Post executive staff Christmas cards) | Courtside A |
| 1:30 p.m.-3 p.m. | Canadian Aerophilatelic Society meeting | Courtside B |
| 3 p.m.-4 p.m. | BNAPS St. Lawrence Seaway Regional Group meeting (presentation titled “The Colonization Roads of Eastern Ontario”) | Courtside A |
| 4 p.m.-5 p.m. | Presentation by Earle Covert titled “The Beginnings and evolution of Canada’s Illustrated Permit Mail” | Courtside B |
| 6 p.m. | Show closes | |
| 6:30 p.m. | Awards reception (tickets $15) | Confederation Lounge |
| SUNDAY, MAY 7 | ||
| 8 a.m.-10 a.m. | Philatelic Specialists Society of Canada members’ breakfast meeting | Outaouais Room |
| 10 a.m. | Show opens | Curling rink |
| 10 a.m.-noon | Judges’ feedback Session | Courtside A |
| Noon-1:30 p.m. | RPSC exhibiting/judging seminar | Courtside A |
| 1 p.m.-2 p.m. | BNAPS Squared Circles Study Group meeting hosted by Bruce Kalbfleisch | Courtside B |
| 2 p.m.-3 p.m. | American Topical Association meeting | Courtside A |
| 3 p.m.-3:45 p.m. | Meet the exhibitors at their exhibits | Curling rink |
| 4 p.m. | Show closes |
Each year, Orapex is organized by volunteers from the RA Stamp Club, the Amicale des philatélistes de l’Outaouais and the Ottawa Philatelic Society. Its exhibition is also part of the American Philatelic Society’s (APS) World Series of Philately since the APS granted approval to Canadian national-level shows in 2010.
“The World Series of Philately is an agreement The RPSC has with the APS where—just like other World Series shows in the U.S.—the person who receives the Grand Award wins the chance to enter their exhibit in the World Series of Philately show hosted by the APS every summer in August,” explained John Sheffield, a former director with the Canadian Stamp Dealers’ Association.
COMPETITIVE EXHIBITION
| FRAME Nos. | No. of FRAMES | EXHIBIT TITLE | EXHIBIT CLASS |
| 1-8 | Eight | Steamship Mail in the Early Decimal Period of Newfoundland 1865-1910 | Court of Honour |
| 9-12 | Four | 22nd World Scout Jamboree at Rinkabi, Sweden July 27-Aug. 6 2011 | Display |
| 13 | One | Detained in Hong Kong, and the Ones That Got Away | One Frame |
| 14-19 | Six | France, its Colonies and Dependencies 1939-1945 | Postal History |
| 20-24 | Five | Early West Coast Steamship Mail | Court of Honour |
| 25 | One | Canada One Dollar Fisheries Issue | One Frame |
| 26-35 | 10 | Canadian Dead Letter Office Handstamps | Postal History |
| 36 | One | A Frontenac Colonization Road – A Postal history | One Frame |
| 37-39 | Three | Franco – Prussian War and Aftermath: 1870-72 | Display |
| 40-48 | Nine | Wei Hai Wei, China, 1896-1949 | Postal History |
| 49 | One | Epic of Vimy – A Canadian Pilgrimage | One Frame |
| 50-54 | Five | The French Revolution from the Ancient Regime to the End of the First Republic | Postal History |
| 55-59 | Five | From the Province of Canada to the Dominion of Canada, a Special Study of Confederation | Experimental |
| 60 | One | Liberia: 19th Century Postal Stationary | One Frame |
| 61-62 | Two | The 1939 Royal Train Post Office | Postal History |
| 63-67 | Five | Royal Visit to Canada 1951 | Display |
| 68-72 | Five | The Semi-Official Airmail Stamps and Covers of Commercial Airways Ltd. 1928-31 | Aerophilately |
| 73-80 | Eight | The Introduction of the MIDGET Postage Meter and its Use in North America | Postal History |
| 81-83 | Three | Postals – Through the Lens of Paul Yates | Picture Postcards |
| 84 | One | A History of Canada’s Airmail Stamps, 1928-1939 | One Frame |
| 85 | One | St. Pierre et Miquelon, Le 20F Montagne et Arbres de 1947 | One Frame |
| 86-90 | Five | Canada/USA Steamship Mail to and from British India: 1878-1914 | Postal History |
| 91-95 | Five | Voiliers d’hier et d’aujourd’hui | Display |
| 96 | One | The Steamboat Mail of Quebec City | One Frame |
| 97 | One | Nauru Ship Series 1924-1954 (Definitives) | One Frame |
| 98-102 | Five | The Ship Mail of Quebec City (1763-1914) | Postal History |
| 103-107 | Five | Fiume, Arbe and Veglia, the Legionnaires Issues | Traditional philately |
| 108 | One | Varieties are the Spice of Stamp Collecting | One Frame |
| 109-111 | Three | Signed, Sealed and Delivered! The Post Office Seals of the United States 1877-1970 | Traditional philately |
| 112-117 | Six | Canada’s Dead Letter Office and Branches 1843-1953 | Postal History |
| 118-120 | Three | A Trans-Atlantic Correspondence During the Golden Age of Steamships | Postal History |
| 121-128 | Eight | The Way Mails of New Brunswick | Postal History |
| 129-133 | Five | Religious Groups Using Illustrated Permits | Traditional philately |
| 134 | One | Cello-Paqs 1961-1967 | One Frame |
| 135-139 | Five | James Cook, Explorer, Navigator, Chartographer | Regional |
| 140 | One | Flaws in Machin Se-Tenant Panes from Folding Booklets | Regional |
| 141 | One | The Vancouver Winter Olympics – 2010 | Regional |
| 142-144 | Three | Canada 1952-57 Wildlife Series | Youth |
| 145 | One | Club Frame RA | Non-competitive |
| 146 | One | Club Frame OPS | Non-competitive |
This year’s panel of judges includes Chief Judge and Chair of the Jury Peter McCann, of University Park, Fla.; Stéphane Cloutier, of Ottawa; Ed Kroft, of Vancouver, B.C.; David Piercey, of Edmonton, Alta.; John Wilson, of Toronto; and apprentice judge Robert Pinet, also of Toronto.
The Grand Award is donated by Sparks Auctions while the Reserve Grand Award is donated by Ian Kimmerly Stamps and the One-Frame Grand Award is donated by Chris Green Stamps.
For more information, visit orapex.ca.