The GHRG holds meetings every two months except during the summer. The season begins in September and ends in May. Unless otherwise noted, meetings are held at the Brewers Blackbird Kitchen & Brewery in Ancaster.

Members start to gather around 10:00 am to discuss philately over a cup of coffee. We invite BNA dealers in the region to show their stock. Lunch is served around noon, after which the formal part of the meeting begins with announcements and an auction of donated material. The highlight of the meeting is a talk by an invited speaker. A Show and Tell session at the end of the meeting usually turns up surprising and intriguing items.

Meetings and speakers

Sunday, 7 June 2020 (virtual meeting)
Wayne Schnarr – “Collecting Canadian Military Mail – A Fascinating Journey”

Sunday, 26 January 2020
Peter McCarthy – “1972 15¢ Mountain Sheep Landscapes Definitive Varieties”

Saturday, 30 November 2019
Meeting cancelled due to renovations at the Brewers Blackbird Kitchen & Brewery

Saturday, 7 September 2019
Peter McCarthy – “What It Takes to Make the Golden Horseshoe Function”

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Sunday, 7 June 2020 meeting

34 min., 215 MB

Wayne Schnarr's presentation

Access is restricted to BNAPS members.

This is the Group’s first meeting since January. It was held virtually because of COVID-19 meeting restrictions. However, the agenda included introductions, announcements, Show and Tell, and a guest speaker, just like the normal meetings. Unfortunately, there was no lunch at our favourite venue, the Brewers Blackbird Kitchen & Brewery in Ancaster.

Our guest speaker, Wayne Schnarr, gave a talk on “Collecting Canadian Military Mail – A Fascinating Journey”. His focus was on World War I, but he also discussed other military conflicts: the Boer War, World War II, and the Korean War. Collecting areas he described included Unit markings, field post office markings, censor markings, soldier correspondence, and peripheral items.

Sunday, 26 January 2020 meeting

Mike Street to leave the Golden land for the land of government and intrigue

Due to the renovations of the Brewers Blackbird Kitchen & Brewery, our regular meeting place, this is the first time we have gathered together since last September. Thirty-one BNAPSERs and a guest were in attendance on this rainy but mild day. Part of the reason for a good crowd is since the restaurant has gone back to being open on Sunday, we are able to meet again on Sundays.

Our day started greeting each other over coffee as we arrived, and then it was right into the dealers’ stock. A large amount of stamps were brought in for children. Ken Lemke has been taking care of this project, and now has enough to offer to anyone who wishes to distribute them to children at various local shows.

The Brewers Blackbird makes up a special three choice menu for us that is always looked forward to. It is a time when chatter diminishes.

After lunch, the more formal portion of the gathering gets underway with announcements. Former member Ken Kershaw passed away on December 30. It was through Ken that Jim Watt managed to secure the Rousseau House Restaurant for our meetings and thereby revive the Golden Horseshoe Regional Group. Mike Street was also very much involved. A card was sent around to be signed by the members present, and a celebration of life of Ken Kershaw will be held on February 9 at the Brewers Blackbird between 3:00pm and 5:00pm.

This was Mike Street’s last meeting with us due to the fact he is moving to Ottawa. Mike was really the glue that held this Group together for the past fifteen years, and he will be missed. The Group was always encouraged to be active and enjoy each others company. Mike worked on many conventions, and tried to involve Group members on those that were close to home. A token of appreciation was presented, and we wish he and his wife Carol all the best as they enjoy a new lifestyle in Ottawa.

The auction was quite lively with many assorted philatelic items up for sale. All the items are donated for which we thank the donors. The buyers are also thanked for providing a home for these items. The profits from the auction go towards expenses.

The speaker for the afternoon was Peter McCarthy, and the topic was Mountain Sheep, the fifteen cents denomination for the 1972-1977 definitive issue. The varieties were shown and varieties that develop from varieties along with its use. Thanks to Simon Claughton for providing the electronics, making our power point presentations possible. Our next meeting, introducing Nick Poppenk, who will be taking over from Mike, will be held Sunday, March 22, and the speaker will be Doug Irwin and the subject will be “The Early Canadian Bank Note Printings of the Canadian Centennial Issue: The Stamps and their Errors and Varieties”.

Saturday, 30 November 2019 meeting

This meeting was cancelled due to ongoing renovations at the Brewers Blackbird Kitchen & Brewery.

Our next meeting will be Sunday, January 26. The speaker, Peter McCarthy.

Saturday, 7 September 2019 meeting

Saturday September 7 was a somber day weather-wise but it didn’t stop eighteen BNAPS members from gathering at the Brewers Blackbird, formerly The Rousseau House Restaurant, in Ancaster for our first meeting of the 2019-2020 season. However, the greetings and smiles from the Group more than made up for the dreariness of the day.

We have good news. Beginning in January 2020 we will be returning to Sunday meetings. The restaurant is going back to being open seven days per week and we have been able to reserve the upstairs room for the last Sunday of our normal meeting months. This means that the schedule for the remainder of the season will be: Saturday, November 30; Sunday, January 26; Sunday, March 22 (Brewers Blackbird is already booked for a large group on March 29), and Sunday, May 24. Victoria Day 2020 is on Monday May 18. In this way we will not be in conflict with other philatelic shows, most of which take place on a Saturday.

September 7 began as usual with coffee and catching up from summer philatelic ventures and going through dealers’ stock until noon, followed by a fine lunch from the special menu made up just for us. Mike Street reported on BNAPEX 2019 held in Ottawa. It was a very good weekend. A very special announcement advised members that Sparks Auctions will no longer be the distributor of BNAPS books. Bill Longley of Longley Auctions will be taking over. The transfer and set-up should be finished by the end of November. Complete details will be forthcoming.

We had a very good auction, thanks in great part for the contributions made by Wayne Schnarr and Bill Longley. Thanks are also extended to all who contributed and to those who provided a new home for the many items.

Computer problems prevented Peter McCarthy from giving his presentation (Oh Simon, we missed you) but he was able to talk somewhat on what it takes to help make the Golden Horseshoe function. As someone said: “The best presentation made at GHRG!"

Our next meeting will be Saturday, November 30. The speaker, Ingo Nessel, will make a presentation on the 1985 Parliament Booklets.

Meetings and speakers

Sunday, 26 May 2019
Brian Peters – “Canadian Bank Savings Stamps”

Saturday, 30 March 2019
Derek Smith – “Production and Uses of the Large Queens”

Saturday, 26 January 2019
Nick Poppenk – “The End of the Barcode”

Saturday, 1 December 2018
Tony Shaman – “T. Eaton Company Santa Claus Letters”

Saturday, 27 October 2018
Brian Peters – “Canadian Revenue Stamps”

Sunday, 26 May 2019 meeting

It was mostly cloudy and almost warm when 23 BNAPSers and guests met on Sunday, May 26, at the Rousseau House Restaurant in Ancaster for the final meeting of the 2018-2019 season. The last minute switch to a Sunday date may presage a return to Sunday meetings. More on this later in this report.

The coffee was hot and the conversation ongoing as people browsed through dealers’ stocks. The relaxed atmosphere makes for an enjoyable lunch selected from the special menu made up just for us.

As the dishes were being cleared we proceeded with announcements – The Royal in Mississauga in June, the PHSC Symposium in Hamilton in July and, of course, BNAPEX 2019 in Ottawa on Labour Day weekend. Then followed the auction without, for the first time ever, our Resident Auctioneer, Peter McCarthy, who had to miss his first meeting in years due to a family commitment. (The substitute was competent, but nowhere near as good as Peter.) We again thank all the donors of auction material and the successful bidders. The money we raise goes back to the membership in one way or another, and it provides some entertainment. Again, thank you.

Our speaker for the day was Brian Peters, whose topic – Canadian Bank Savings Stamps – was something very few people in the room had ever heard of, let alone knew anything about. Beginning around 1890, several small banks formed the “Associated Societies Savings Bank”, with the main office in Hamilton. The intent was to provide a way for people to save up small amounts of money (and, of course, for the banks get their hands on those funds). Other banks set up similar systems.

People would buy stamps for 5¢, 10¢, and a few higher denominations, then paste them in a booklet. When the total of the amount tucked away reached a level where it could be deposited in a regular savings bank account, sheets with stamps would be turned into a bank to make the transaction. Brian showed stamps from several different banks and the only known, to date, surviving sheet with stamps affixed. A very interesting presentation! THANKS Brian.

The next GHRG meeting will take place, tentatively, on the last weekend of September. The reason for the uncertainty is that Rousseau House is in the process of transforming into the “Brewers Blackbird Kitchen & Brewery”, which will include a brewery, a wood-fired pizza oven, and more. Construction is in progress and should finish in early July. Once things are up and running, we will work with Andrew Kershaw and set a date for our first meeting of the 2019-2020 Golden Horseshoe Regional Group season and advise members by email or letter. We look forward to seeing you in the fall.

Saturday, 30 March 2019 meeting

The sap was flowing and it was also raining torrents on the thirtieth of March as thirty BNAPSers and guests met at the Rousseau House Restaurant in Ancaster for the next to last meeting of the 2018-2019 season. The coffee was hot and the conversation ongoing as people browsed through dealers’ stock. The weather certainly didn’t dampen this gathering. The relaxed atmosphere makes for an enjoyable lunch selected from a special menu made up just for us.

With the dishes cleared, we get on with the so-called formal portion of the day beginning with announcements, which usually include reminders of the various philatelic shows taking place, book announcements and always a BNAPEX update. This is followed by show and tell.

We always hold an auction of material generously donated by members, for which we again thank all the donors and the successful bidders. The money we raise goes back to the membership in one way or another, and it provides some entertainment. Again, thank you.

Our speaker for the day was Derek Smith, whose topic was the production and uses of each denomination of the Large Queens. It was a very interesting presentation. Most of our speakers go to the trouble of producing PowerPoint or electronic presentations, which add much to the philatelic interest. We also thank Simon Claughton for supplying the professional equipment that makes the presentations that much more enjoyable.

Our next and last gathering of the season will be *CHANGED TO* SUNDAY MAY 26 (Saturday May 25). Our speaker will be Brian Peters and his topics will be Revenues. You are all welcome to join us.

Saturday, 26 January 2019 meeting

We begin this report by apologizing for interfering with any philatelic shows within the Golden Horseshoe area, particularly the CATHEX show at St. Catharines. It certainly wasn’t our intention to do so, but being human we sometimes slip up.

Saturday, January 26, 2019 was a great travel day here in southwest Ontario, and it brought twenty-two members out to the first gathering of the New Year. Winter however hit pretty hard the following Monday, with a snow storm followed by awfully frigid temperatures.

We only had one dealer present, the others being at the St. Catharines show. However, the morning did go by quickly with all the visiting and philatelic chatter over coffee.

The afternoon activities got underway with announcements of new BNAPS books recently published, a variety of shows taking place in the region, and BNAPEX 2019 in Ottawa this Labour Day weekend. We didn’t have a very large auction but there was still good material available. Thanks to those who provided the lots, and thanks also to those who provided a new home for that material.

The one thing we try and encourage is Show and Tell and a couple of very interesting items were displayed at this meeting. Hopefully we will have a few more in March.

The speaker for the afternoon was Nick Poppenk. In his presentation, “The End of the Barcode”, Nick described how the pink and yellow bars that used to appear on the front of envelopes mailed in Canada were part of the mechanization of the mail system, and how the process works today. Modern philately can be very interesting. Thanks Nick and thanks to Simon Claughton for supplying the electronics for the presentation.

The next meeting will be held on March 30 at the same location but under a different name. The Rousseau House is converting to a “brew pub” and will be known as the “Brewers Blackbird Kitchen and Brewery”. Our speaker will be Derek Smith, whose subject will be Large Queens. I have seen and heard this presentation before, and it is most interesting, so we look forward to seeing as many of you as can possibly make it.

Saturday, 1 December 2018 meeting

Because of the late October date of the previous GHRG meeting, we felt it necessary to move the November meeting date to the first weekend in December. We will be back on schedule for the balance of the 2018-2019 season. The reasonably good weather on December 1 brought thirty members and guests to the meeting. Coffee, good conversation and browsing through dealers’ stocks allowed the morning to pass by all too quickly.

Lunch at the Rousseau House Restaurant is always a treat, and this day was no exception. After all were sated, the afternoon program got underway with announcements. Several new books are available through the book department at Sparks Auctions. You will find all the information in this issue of BNA Topics, on www.BNAPS.org or the Sparks Auctions website: https//sparks-auctions.com/bnapsbooks/.

In the Christmas spirit, a generous heart prevailed. Surplus BNAPS books were given out to anyone who wanted them, a GHRG calendar was distributed to all in attendance, and a GHRG pen given to those who missed the October meeting.

During Show and Tell, several people described some very interesting material. Tony Shaman gave a very interesting presentation on the colourful and beautifully rendered T. Eaton Company Santa Claus Letters. They certainly brought back wonderful childhood memories. Thanks very much, Tony, and thank you Simon for providing projection equipment.

Our next meeting will be January 26, 2019. The featured speaker, Nick Poppenk, will describe “The End of the Barcode”.

Happy New Year to all.

Tony Shaman with Peter McCarthy courtesy Kathy Hartley

Saturday, 27 October 2018 meeting

A combination of BNAPEX 2018 being held late in September, followed by Thanksgiving, CANPEX and Rousseau House commitments resulted in the 2018-2019 GHRG season’s first meeting being held on October 27. It was quite a pile of conflicts, but we managed to sort it all out, and the weather cooperated making October 27 an overall good day.

Twenty-one members and guests turned out to enjoy a day of relaxing philately and reminiscing about their time at the terrific BNAPEX 2018, while going through dealer material and enjoying a good hot cup of coffee before the lunch hour. Everyone in attendance received a small gift of a GHRG pen.

After lunch, the so-called formal portion of the day got underway with reports and announcements, notably that BNAPEX 2019 will be held in Ottawa, followed by an auction with some brisk bidding on good literature. Being very close to Halloween, a bnapsorex dinosaur came in and passed out treats. The four captured photos of this rare specimen are thanks to Kathy Hartley, the librarian at the Vincent Graves Greene Foundation.

Brian Peters, the speaker for the afternoon, spoke to us on Canadian Revenue Stamps. It was a good presentation enjoyed by all.

The speaker for our next gathering on December 1 will be Tony Shaman whose topic will be the Santa Claus letters sent to children from 1913 into the late 1970s.

Special visitor courtesy Kathy Hartley

Special visitor courtesy Kathy Hartley

Special visitor courtesy Kathy Hartley

Special visitor courtesy Kathy Hartley