By Jesse Robitaille
Later this year, The Royal Philatelic Society of Canada (RPSC) will be returning to St. Catharines, Ont. for its 90th convention.
Hosted by the St. Catharines Stamp Club, the 2018 convention of The RPSC will be held June 22-24 at the Holiday Inn and Suites Parkway Convention Centre on 327 Ontario St. It will mark only the second time the convention has been held in the “Garden City”; in 2009, it was held at the same location.
In fact, the 2018 convention will be only the third time The RPSC’s big show has been held in the Niagara Peninsula east of Hamilton, which has hosted the show three times itself (1966, ’89 and ’98).
Although this year’s big show marks a special anniversary, 2018 convention chair Stuart Keeley said it’s unlikely there will be any special celebrations.
“Any special celebration is up to the board, but I suspect not.”
DEALERS, EXHIBITS, SEMINARS
The 2018 convention – also known as the Royal – will feature 25 dealers, 140 frames of competitive exhibits – as well as a separate special exhibit presented by David Lank, director emeritus of the McGill Dobson Centre for Entrepreneurial Studies – and a “full slate of seminars,” according to Keeley.
Lank’s exhibit, entitled “Every Stamp a Story,” was publicly displayed at Montreal’s McGill University last spring as well as at the Philatelic Specialists Society of Canada (PSSC) annual banquet in Toronto last October.
On June 22, he will be attending the 2018 RPSC Convention to present his seminar.
EDUCATIONAL SEMINARS
“Depending upon their interests, we usually have a judging seminar, which is good for everybody; not only judges but exhibitors can gain knowledge from that,” said meetings and seminars co-chair Rod Paige, who’s also the past vice president of The RPSC.
The 2018 convention will also boast a trio of seminars by U.S. philatelists, who will be visiting from the American Topical Association (ATA).
“They’re each going to do a seminar on the topical and thematic areas, so that’s going to be interesting for a lot of people,” said Paige, who added they are both burgeoning parts of the hobby.
On June 22, ATA member Larry Davidson will lead a presentation entitled “The Fun of Topical Collecting.”
The following day, ATA First Vice President Dawn Hamman will explore “Getting Started in Thematic Exhibiting” while a third seminar – the “ATA Roundtable” – will explore the latest news from the Illinois-based society.
Other seminars include a presentation entitled “Great Britain: Postal Reform 1837-1840,” which will be hosted June 22 by Tom Slemons, a director with the Great Britain Collectors Club.
Also on June 22, Steve McGill is slated to lead a presentation entitled “Understanding the Machin Series – A Primer.”
The following day, Slemons and McGill will co-host a workshop on Great Britain philately from postal reform to the modern Machins.
“Collectors are encouraged to bring their items for discussion and identification,” added Paige.
MEETINGS
The RPSC board of directors is scheduled to meet at 4 p.m. on June 21, a day before the show gets underway.
“That will give the board members a chance to wander the bourse and make their presence known,” said Paige.
The society’s annual general meeting is scheduled for the following day at 10 a.m. This will be followed by a brief board meeting – the annual meeting elects the board before the new and incumbent directors meet – as well as a meeting of the society’s Fellows.
Also on the morning of June 22, the PSSC will host its annual breakfast meeting, which will also include a lecture by a PSSC member.
On June 23, The RPSC will host its President’s Reception with newly appointed President Ed Kroft. This will be followed by the highly anticipated awards banquet.
2018 CONVENTION HOURS
The bourse will be open from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday and from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is $3 on Friday and Saturday. In addition to free admission on Sunday, parking is also free at the venue.
Please note the above listed meetings and seminars are subject to change. For updates and to register for the 2018 convention, visit rpsc.org.