By Jesse Robitaille
Two-day show boasts 50-plus dealers, exclusive seminars, 1,500-lot auction
The National Postage Stamp and Coin Show is set to welcome collectors back to Mississauga this weekend for Canada’s largest combined coin and stamp spectacle.
On Sept. 7-8, more than 50 of Canada’s top dealers will return to the Hilton Mississauga’s 9,000-square-foot Graydon Hall, where a smorgasbord of material – not only stamps and coins but postal history, militaria, books and more – will be offered to collectors.
“This is one of the biggest shows we have, and it’s a nice way to start the fall season,” dealer Stephan Bilodeau, owner of Canadian-Stamps, said before last fall’s show.
Bilodeau has manned a booth on the bourse of each show – travelling from his hometown in Cantley, Qué. – since Trajan Media, publisher of CSN and Canadian Coin News, acquired the rights from the Canadian Stamp Dealers’ Association in 2015.
“It’s one of the best shows,” he added. “It’s well worth it.”
This fall, the bourse is open to the public both days at 10 a.m., before closing at 5 p.m. on Sept. 7 and 4 p.m. on the following day. Admission is $3 on Saturday and free on Sunday – with children aged 17 and under always receiving free admission – and free on-site parking is available to all show-goers.
A major highlight of the show this fall is the first public display of Canada’s rarest coin – the only privately owned 1911 silver dollar – for the first time in 30 years. It’ll be showcased at table #30 on the bourse throughout the weekend.
Also held in conjunction with the show is a two-session coin and stamp “Premier Auction” hosted by Kitchener, Ont.’s Colonial Acres.
SATURDAY SEMINARS
Beyond the bourse, collectors can bolster their knowledge and appreciation of the hobby with a trio of exciting seminars plus an engaging “Young Collectors” program dedicated to inspiring the next generation of hobbyists.
On Saturday from 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m., counterfeit coin expert Mike Marshall will lead a seminar on understanding and identifying fakes using existing Chinese counterfeits plus new examples “hot off the press,” Marshall said.
Later that day at 2 p.m., Canada Post officials will offer a sneak peek at the country’s stamp program for 2020. Susan Gilson, senior design manager with the Crown corporation, will be joined by stamp designer Andrew Perro, who will also highlight Canada Post’s recent “Bears” issue as well as last year’s “Bees” stamps.
FREE PARKING
Parking at the Hilton Mississauga is free while you’re attending the National Postage Stamp and Coin Show on Sept. 7-8. The Hilton will be placing a notice on its parking meters listing the shows and events – including Trajan’s “National Show” – that are exempt from parking fees. Instead of paying the parking meters, show-goers are asked to sign in with their license plate number at the show admission desk. Do not pay the fee at the hotel’s automated parking meters. There are no refunds from the hotel or show organizers.
SUNDAY YOUTH PROGRAM
Sept. 8 is dedicated to the future of our hobbies with Trajan’s “Young Collectors” program.
On Sunday at noon, Royal Canadian Numismatic Association national youth co-ordinator Cassidy Stroud will host a workshop for children, exploring what material they can collect with an informative video.
Also tying in with the show’s family-friendly mandate, later that day at 1:30 p.m., a free “Young Collectors” auction will offer upwards of 50 lots of numismatic and philatelic material to children aged 17 and under. Play money will be provided to all bidders, so there is no cost to participants.
Throughout the weekend, the “Young Collectors” booth – located just outside the bourse – will also offer discounted material to children aged 17 and under.
2020 SHOWS
Looking ahead to next year, the National Postage Stamp and Coin Show is slated to return next spring (April 4-5) and fall (Sept. 12-13) at the same location, the Hilton Mississauga, which is located directly off Highway 401 on Mississauga Road.
For more information about the biannual show hosted by Trajan Media, visit stampandcoinshow.com.