Ralph E. Trimble established the Canadian Re-entries Study Group in 1981, and was its chair and newsletter editor for 16 years. During this time, he produced 71 issues. BNAPS gave him the John S. Siverts Award for best Study Group newsletter in 1989 and again in 1993. A few years after retiring from his Study Group activities, Ralph began building a popular and highly regarded website devoted to re-entries.

Following Ralph's tenure, Bill MacDonald took over as editor from 1997 to 1998 and Hal Kellett from 1999 to 2004.

Michael D. Smith reactivated the Study Group in 2014, and expanded the Group's scope from re-entries to all constant plate varieties on engraved stamps. He named the newsletter Dots and Scratches to reflect the expanded scope.

Newsletter Editors
First Series

Second Series - Dots and Scratches

How to search the newsletters

Here are two ways of searching the newsletters.

Index for issues 1 to 62 (1981-1993)

Ralph Trimble prepared an index covering issues 1 (Vol. 1, No. 1 - 1981) to 62 (Vol. 12, No. 5 - 1993). See details under "Other resources" below.

Google search

To search through the newsletters using Google and constrain the search results to just the newsletters, paste the text: site:bnaps.org/studygroups/re-entry/newsletters in the Google search box followed by the phrase you wish to search for. In the image reproduced below, the search phrase is "misplaced entry". Note that if the phase "misplaced entry" is not enclosed in quotes, the search results will include all instances of "misplaced" and "entry". The search is case-insensitive. "Misplaced Entry" and "misplaced entry" will return the same results.

Newsletters
First Series

The issues are in PDF format. File sizes vary from 2.5 to 17.0 MB.
When you click on an issue number, it will be displayed in a new window. Closing the window returns you to this page.

Newsletters
Second Series - Dots and Scratches

Other resources

Newsletter Index
Ralph E. Trimble, 1 Dec. 1993.
The index covers Vol. 1, No. 1, to Vol. 12, No. 5, Whole nos 1 to 62, 1981-1993.
File size: 7.7 MB

Canada’s ½d Plate Varieties (12.4 MB pdf) - Michael D. Smith
Re-entries and plate flaws with clear illustrations taken from the plate proof. References the plate of 120 for the imperforate stamp and the cut-down plate of 100 for the perforated stamp. Presented at the Re-entries and Constant Plate Varieties Study Group meeting at BNAPEX 2018 Quebec.

Three Pence Beaver Selected Re-entries and Plate Varieties (2.9 MB pdf) - Michael D. Smith
Description, including plate position, of selected re-entries and plate flaws with detailed illustrations to aid identification. Presented at the Re-entries and Constant Plate Varieties Study Group meeting at BNAPEX 2015 Niagara Falls.

Whitworth’s Plate Flaws on the One Cent Decimal Issue (6.5 MB pdf) - Michael D. Smith
Close-up illustrations from an early plate proof and issued stamps with detailed annotation of plate flaws reported by Geoffrey Whitworth in the 1960s. Version 2, revised in Jan. 2020.