Show season is underway, and it’s another busy week for Canadian philately.
Today is the final day of Canpex 2016, the inaugural Canadian National Philatelic Exhibition. Hosted by the Middlesex Stamp Club (Chapter 204 of The Royal Philatelic Society of Canada [RPSC]) at the Hellenic Community Centre on 133 Southdale Rd. W., Canpex boasts 120 frames of competitive exhibits; more than 30 dealer tables; and free parking and admission.
“Hopefully it’ll be the first of many,” said Sheffield, in an interview last week. “The Middlesex Stamp Club ran a club show called Midpex every fall, and in 2005 and 2015, we hosted two successful Royals that in our opinion raised the bar as far as Royals go.”
This—coupled with the fact Orapex is the only national-level show regularly held in Ontario each year—spurred several Middlesex Stamp Club members to start their own show.
“We got together and said, ‘We can do this in Southern Ontario.’ The collectors in Southern Ontario deserve an opportunity to see national-level exhibits without having to go all the way to Ottawa, and you can’t always depend on a Royal being held in Southern Ontario,” said Sheffield, who added after hosting last year’s RPSC Convention, the club’s members decided it was time to take action.
CALGARY
Today is also the final day of Caltapex 2016, which is being hosted by the Calgary Philatelic Society (RPSC Chapter 66) in Calgary, Alta. The show runs from 10 a.m.-5 p.m., and features a dozen dealers as well as an auction. Admission is free.
ST. CATHARINES
On Oct. 22, the Best Western Stamp Show is being held in the Niagara Room of St. Catharines, Ont.’s Best Western Hotel. The show is open from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and boasts free parking, admission and appraisals for all kinds of philatelic material. This show is sponsored by local dealer Roy Houtby, owner of Roy’s Stamps, which had a booth at the World Stamp Show, held May 28-June 4 in New York City. Houtby specializes in the stamps and covers of Canada and the British Commonwealth.
GUELPH
Also on Oct. 22, the 70th Guelphpex 2016 will be held at the Evergreen Seniors Centre on 683 Woolwich St., in Guelph, Ont. Hosted by the Guelph Stamp Club (RPSC Chapter 233), the show will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and include an exhibition, dealer bourse and sales circuit. Admission is free.
KINGSTON
Rounding out the Ontario shows is the Kingston Stamp Festival, which will take place Oct. 22 at the Christ Church Paris on 990 Sydenham Rd., in Kingston, Ont. The festival will run from 10 a.m.-4 p.m., and includes nine dealers, door prizes, and a youth booth. Admission is free.
QUEBEC
On Oct. 22-23, RPSC Chapter 241, the Association of Numismatists and Philatelists of Boucherville (ANPB) is hosting a Coin and Stamp Show at De Mortagne School, 955 De Montarville, in Boucherville, Que. The show, which is slated to feature a 35-dealer bourse, will run from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Admission and parking are free.
CLUB MEETINGS
On Oct. 18, the West Toronto Stamp Club (WTSC) will host a discussion group at 7:30 p.m. The club’s first meeting took place March 10, 1935, and four years later it joined The RPSC as Chapter 14. It currently meets at 80 Lothian Ave., in Etobicoke, Ont.
The Oct. 18 discussion group is the first night in a three-evening series of talks similar to last year’s sessions with noted philatelist Robin Harris. Continuing on Oct. 19 at a Philatelic Specialists Society of Canada (PSSC) meeting; and concluding on Oct. 20 at the Vincent Graves Greene Philatelic Research Foundation, guest speaker Ken Pugh, of British Columbia, will speak about philatelic fakes, forgeries and counterfeits.
“Ken is one of the world’s leading authorities on fakes, forgeries and counterfeits,” said Garfield Portch, the WTSC official responsible for club auctions and discussion group meetings.
On Oct. 18, Pugh will discuss detection techniques. Among the selected material will be OHMS perfins and overprints, the De Thuin forgeries and fake fancy cancels.
The following evening, he will discuss the personalities, including Jean de Sperati; Fred Eaton; and Raoul Charles de Thuin, among others. This meeting is only open to PSSC members and their guests.
Lastly, on Oct. 20, Pugh will discuss specific examples selected from various classifications, each from his extensive personal collection. This meeting, sponsored by the Greene Foundation, is open to everyone to attend.
Portch said the club will also produce a 24-page booklet to accompany the series.
On Oct. 18, the St. Catharines Stamp Club (RPSC Chapter 53) will host its first speaker and auction night at the Grantham Lions Club in St. Catharines, Ont.
Also on Oct. 18 is a regular meeting hosted by the Bramalea Stamp Club (RPSC Chapter 144). It will include a club dealer; club circuit books; and a silent auction and table auction. The meeting theme is turkey.
On Oct. 19, the Essex County Stamp Club (RPSC Chapter 154) will host a meeting at Community of Christ Church in Windsor, Ont. Speaker Bob Lewis and the Kent County Stamp Club visits, Fall table auction.
On Oct. 19, the North York Philatelic Society (RPSC Chapter 21) will host its Semi-Annual Stamp Auction at Unison Health and Community Services in North York.
On Oct. 20, the Ottawa Philatelic Society (OPS) will celebrate its 120th anniversary with a banquet. Established in 1891, the OPS is Chapter 16 of The RPSC.
Also on Oct. 20, the Winnipeg Philatelic Society (RPSC Chapter 86) will host a presentation on the history of mourning covers, which were black-edged posted letters used in most countries, including Canada, throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries (although they were rarely used after the middle of the 20th century). These macabre letters were typically sent to spread word about someone’s death along with information about funeral arrangements.