2020

In 2017, the King George VI Study Group reduced from five to two years the delay between publication of its newsletters and making them available to non Study Group members. The Study Group modified this policy recently. It now makes its newsletters available to ALL BNAPS members immediately upon publication.

The newsletters published in 2019 and this year (three issues, Nos. 39, 40, and 41) are now posted on the website, and can be accessed by all BNAPS members once they log in.

Issue No. 41 was published earlier this month. It contains articles by Peter Kritz, Joe Trauzzi, Jonathan Johnson, Ingo Nessel, Gary Steele, and John Cranmer featuring postal history topics throughout the KG VI period. Two of them have a Christmas theme.

View the King George VI Study Group newsletters

Kimber Wald passed away on 22 May 2020.

He attended several BNAPEX conventions, won Gold for two BNA exhibits, and authored two books published by BNAPS.

View his memorial.

The December 2020 issue of KGVI Herald Dispatch, the bimonthly bulletin published by the King George VI Study Group, is available.

View the KGVI Herald Dispatch

The British Columbia Postal History Study Group recently published the December 2020 issue of its newsletter (No. 116).

Articles cover Port Coquitlam, Halcyon Hot Springs, Burrard Inlet, POCONs, mail delivery by the SS Iroquois, an unpaid cover, a cover with no stamp or postmark, a cancel from a previously unreported post office, and two covers whose delivery defies belief.

Contributors include Gus Knierim, Firmin Wyndels, Andrew Scott, Bruce Pollock, Dale Forster, Gray Scrimgeour, Cec Coutts, and Morris Beattie.

View the British Columbia Postal History Study Group newsletters

The BNAPS website has switched to the secure HTTPS communications protocol. This protocol encrypts data exchanged between the web server and your browser while in transit over the Internet.

Viewers should update the bookmark to the website in their browser. The website URL has changed from http://www.bnaps.org to https://bnaps.org (note the "s" after "http" and the elimination of "www").

George B. Arfken passed away on 8 October.

He was a noted author and an accomplished exhibitor. He was inducted into the Order of the Beaver in 1996, and named a Fellow of the Royal Philatelic Society of Canada in 2001.

View his memorial

The Pence-Cents Era Study Group has a new web page describing the Group's activities. It also provides a list of key references to the stamps and postal history of the 1853 Pence and 1859 Cents Issues.

The Study Group has published the November 2020 edition of its newsletter (Vol. IX, No. 5). In it, Jim Jung illustrates newly discovered plate flaws on the 10 pence Jacques Cartier, Wayne Smith discusses two fake covers, Mike Halhed displays several covers with four-ring numeral cancels, and Ron Majors expands on an earlier article on mourning covers.

Visit the new Study Group page, and go to the newsletters page

The October 2020 issue of KGVI Herald Dispatch, the bimonthly bulletin published by the King George VI Study Group, is available.

View the KGVI Herald Dispatch

In "Stamp Books for a Weekend Read", Clayton Rubec provides a different take on philatelic literature.

New postings in Online Resources & Exhibits (ORE)

The Oct.-Dec. 2020 newsletter (No. 181) of the Newfoundland Study Group is available.

It features articles on "forerunner pre-perfins" from Ayre and Sons Ltd. by Dean Mario, cork cancels, part of an exhibit by David Piercey, and multi-view postcards by Brian C. Bursey and John M. Walsh.

There are also two articles on the 1870 3¢ Queen Victoria stamp: one by John M. Walsh on the major re-entry and another by Jim André on a newly discovered plate flaw.

Ron C. McGuire updates his article on a 1932 promotional envelope sent by well-known Newfoundland stamp dealer Rev. Butler, and Tony Thompson muses on the attractions of exhibiting following a Zoom meeting on that topic held by the Study Group.

View the Newfoundland Study Group newsletters

Earle L. Covert provides a 30 September 2020 update to the listing of illustrated indicia for permit mail. The update adds 92 new permit mail indicia and 14 new bulk mailers to the 31 May 2020 listing.

Canada Post introduced illustrated indicia for permit mail in 2006. The listing also includes forerunners, indicia with illustrations that appeared before 2006.

View the listing of illustrated indicia on permit mail

The Newfoundland Study Group offers two new video presentations, both given by Chris Hargreaves:

â–º  Air Mail through Botwood, 1939-1945.
Solves several mysteries surrounding a First Flight cover postmarked 4 May 1942 marking the resumption of airmail service from Newfoundland to the United Kingdom.

â–º  Airmail from Canada to Sweden during WW II
Follow-up that discusses a cover from St. John's to Sweden postmarked 25 Feb. 1943.

View the presentations

The Squared Circle Study Group has published Squared Circle Postmarks of Canada on the 1898 Canadian 2¢ Imperial Penny Postage Issue (The ‘Map Stamp’): A Cover Census and Analysis by Rick Friesen.

This census lists over 1,100 covers franked with the 1898 2¢ Map stamp and postmarked with Squared Circle hammer strikes. If an image is available, the cover is illustrated. The previous census, compiled in 2001, listed 620 covers.

The data for this census comes from auction catalogues dating back to 1960, Internet auctions such as eBay, philatelic literature, exhibits, dealer stocks, personal communications from fellow collectors, and the author's collection.

The link to the census is in the "Other resources" section of the Study Group's newsletter page.

Each year, BNAPS gives awards to recognize expertise in BNA philately, support for the BNA collecting community, and service to the Society. These awards are usually announced at the BNAPEX convention.

BNAPEX 2020 Halifax was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so the awards were announced in the September issue of the BNAPS eLetter and at the 2020 Annual General Meeting, held virtually on 6 September.

You can view a list of all the award recipients via the link given below. You can also view the winners of each of the awards over the years.

List of 2020 award recipients

The Golden Horseshoe Regional Group has posted four video presentations given at two recent virtual meetings:

â–º  Collecting Canadian Military Mail - A Fascinating Journey - Wayne Schnarr (7 June)
â–º  Canada's 1985 - 1989 50c Parliament Booklets - Ingo Nessel (22 Aug.)
â–º  Trail Blazing New Collecting Areas - Bill Longley (22 Aug.)
â–º  New BNAPS Books and Cancel Challenges - Mike Street (22 Aug.)

Access to these videos is restricted to BNAPS members.

In addition, the GHRG web pages have been redesigned

View the video presentations and browse through the meeting reports dating back to 2005.

Wayne Smith has released his newest census, the "British Columbia Numeral Grid Cancel Census". It lists all the known examples of the 36 grid cancels, found on and off cover, issued in 1860 to the colonies of British Columbia and Vancouver Island.

This is Wayne Smith's fifth census of early covers and cancels.

View the census

The September 2020 newsletter (No. 115) of the British Columbia Postal History Study Group is online.

The articles feature facets of the postal history of Pitt River, Powell River, Skeena River, and Surrey (via the Chantrell family correspondence). They also explore unusual and rare destinations and two unpaid 1866 covers from the U.S.

Contributors include Morris Beattie, Tracy Cooper, Andrew Scott, Gray Scrimgeour, Gary Steele, and Tim Woodland.

View the British Columbia Postal History Study Group newsletters

The results of the 2020 election were announced at the BNAPS Annual General Meeting held on Sunday, 6 September. The meeting was held virtually this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

View the election results

The reports of BNAPS officials tabled at the Board of Directors meeting on 5 September are online. The approved minutes of the Board of Directors meeting at BNAPEX 2019 and the Annual General Meeting in Ottawa are also posted.

The Treasurer's Report is for fiscal year 2019. It includes the Balance Sheet and Profit & Loss Statement that were published in BNA Topics in previous years.

Access to these reports and minutes is restricted to BNAPS members. You must log in to view them.

Reports of BNAPS officers and appointed officials

A new group for Novice Collectors has been created which contains inexpensive stamps. Pages have been added to this group. Additional pages were also added to Precancels.

If you're getting tired and want something to do, take a look at the pages. Also with your extra time now, why not submit some pages for the circuits.

Visit the Exchange Circuit

The 6th Edition of the Perfin Handbook has been revised. The revision includes many additions to the various perfins. Revised sections can be seen by the date 2020 08 01.

See the revised Perfin Handbook Edition 6

The August 2020 newsletter (Vol. 9, No. 4) of the Pence-Cents Era Study Group caters to both stamp and postal history buffs.

On the stamp side, Michael D. Smith presents another segment of his plating analysis of the Five Cents Beaver. Lucky bidders should read Jim Jung's article about the plate flaws he found on several Pence Issue stamps from a recent Sparks Auctions sale.

Turning to postal history, Jim Jung describes a newspaper from Great Britain with a Half Penny stamp. Ron Majors puts a philatelic spin on the 1848 California Gold Rush.

View the Pence-Cents Era Study Group newsletters

The August 2020 issue of KGVI Herald Dispatch, the bimonthly bulletin published by the King George VI Study Group, is available.

View the KGVI Herald Dispatch

In 2019, Michael D. Smith retired as editor of Dots and Scratches, the newsletter of the Re-entries and Constant Plate Varieties Study Group.

Scott Robinson volunteered to becomes the new editor, and has just published his first issue, Vol. 7, No. 1, whole no. 24, July 2020. Scott designed and maintains a well regarded website devoted to re-entries and plate flaws on engraved stamps, http://www.flyspecker.com.

Articles featured in the first issue include a re-entry discovery on the $5.00 1897 Queen Victoria Diamond Jubilee by former editor Michael D. Smith and new research on plating the 6¢ Small Queen by Jim McCormick. Editor Scott Robinson contributes two articles, one providing new insight on varieties found on the 1898 Map Stamp and the other dealing with the elusive retouch to the "Blue Nose" re-entry on the 1932 5¢ Medallion stamp. A noteworthy first issue!

View the Re-entries and Constant Plate Varieties Study Group newsletters

The Fancy Cancel & Miscellaneous Markings Study Group published its latest newsletter, No. 83, June-July 2020. To editor David Lacelle's delight, this issue is the largest yet at 18 pages.

Credit is due to the enthusiastic Study Group members who reported their discoveries and commented on items in previous newsletters. They include Robert Coulson, Ron Smith, Vince Chermishnok, Mike Halhed, Philip Visser, Ron Leith, Graham Searle, Robin Simpson, Mike Street, Guy Jeffery, and Jim McCormick.

Fancy Cancel & Miscellaneous Markings Study Group newsletters

The Newfoundland Study Group July 2020 newsletter, No. 180, is available online.

It features articles on a cacheted Rev. Butler envelope, “A. & S. L.” typed initials on an AYRE perfin stamp, cancels on early Newfoundland stamps, the 1897 John Cabot issue, the Resources issue, and a blotchy ink variety (another one!).

View the Newfoundland Study Group newsletters

The BNAPS 2020 election of Officers and Directors is under way. Members can vote online or by mail.

Online voting takes place between 10 July and 15 August. Click on the link below for details, candidate biographies, and an online ballot. You will be asked to log in first if you aren't already.

Mail-in ballots and candidate biographies are being mailed today, 10 July. To vote by mail, wait to receive a ballot, fill it in, and return it by mail before 15 August. Further instructions are on the back of the ballot.

BNAPS 2020 election

To increase the frequency of correspondence with its members on a regular basis, the King George VI Study Group has launched a short bulletin to be published bimonthly. The bulletin, KGVI Herald Dispatch, will feature current events and news of interest to Study Group members, shared with the philatelic community at large.

Stephen Prest volunteered to edit the bulletin to the end of 2020. He has published two issues, the most recent at the beginning of June.

The bulletin is posted on the Study Group's website, www.kgvi.ca/pm.html, and is also available on the BNAPS website.

Publication of the Study Group's newsletter, Post & Mail, will continue in parallel with Herald Dispatch.

View the KGVI Herald Dispatch

The Prairie Beaver Regional Group just published the June 2020 issue of its newsletter, Beaver Chatter (Vol. 45, No. 2).

The Group hopes to meet sometime in the Fall. In the interim, the newsletter describes Vic Willson's ongoing efforts to plate the 12½¢ Large Queen, showcases two of George Dresser's Edwardian postal history items, and illustrates a 2¢ Large Queen printed matter item Vic Willson acquired on eBay.

View the Beaver Chatter

On 13 June, the Newfoundland Study Group held a virtual meeting via Zoom. Two presentations were made at the meeting:

â–º  Stamp Paper - Anthony Thompson
Describes the paper used to print Newfoundland stamps by Perkins Bacon between 1929-1938 and Waterlow between 1942-1949.

â–º  Two Canadian Aniline Stamps: Two Different Spectroscopic Tales - Richard Judge
Analyses the aniline ink on the Canada 1938 $1.00 Château de Ramezay definitive and the Newfoundland 1911 8¢ Prince George commemorative.

The video presentations are listed in the "Resources" section of the Newfoundland Study Group newsletters page. Access to the videos is restricted to members of BNAPS.

View the presentations

Earle L. Covert provides a May 2020 update to the listing of illustrated indicia for permit mail. The update adds 241 new permit mail indicia and 33 new bulk mailers to the February 2020 listing.

Canada Post introduced illustrated indicia for permit mail in 2006. The listing also includes forerunners, indicia with illustrations that appeared before 2006.

View the listing of illustrated indicia on permit mail

The Pence-Cents Era Study Group has published the June 2020 issue of its newsletter, Vol. 9, No. 3.

The issue features two detailed 3d Beaver plating articles by Michael D. Smith. One of them describes the challenge he encountered with a plate proof block of four. Ron Majors discusses Canada's first patriotic cover, and Stéphane Cloutier illustrates two 10d Cartier stamps with visibly different dimensions.

Pence-Cents Era Study Group newsletters

The Sept. 2017 - Feb. 2018 newsletter (No. 38) of the King George VI Study Group has been posted.

Featured are instalments of three continuing series: Eldon Godfrey's Foreign Exchange Control Board, Donald Leblanc's Royal Visit of 1939, and Stephen Prest's review of articles in BNA Topics pertaining to BNA King George VI philately. Gary Steele's 1951 Dead Letter Office cover begins the issue.

View the King George VI newsletters

The June 2020 newsletter (No. 114) of the British Columbia Postal History Study Group is available.

The newsletter features three articles with an epidemiological theme, a memorial to Victoria philatelist Don Shorting, early BC ship mail, a 1903 cover from Vancouver to Keffi, Nigeria, and QSL cards from BC’s ham radio operators.

View the newsletter

Wayne Smith has updated his census of covers with 1859 Cents Issue stamps used after the Large Queen stamps were issued on 1 April 1868.

The May 2020 update adds more covers, adds comments to existing covers, and converts the format of the census to a PDF file.

View the census

The April 2020 newsletter of the Precancel Study Group, No. 11, is available.

Gary Steele displays some colourful covers with precancel stamps, Tom Meyerhof explores an interesting facet of Admiral parcel post rates, Kyle Taylor illustrates an interesting precancel coil paste-up, and there's a survey of stamp varieties on precancels.

What's an unofficial precancel? Well, the newsletter illustrates one, and the editor wants more.

View the newsletter

There are 30 new Circuit pages placed on the website. Many new pages in KGV, QE, Precancel and other groups.

If you're getting tired and want something to do, take a look at the pages. Also with your extra time now, why not submit some pages for the circuits.

Visit the Exchange Circuit

A new feature is available on the website: the BNAPS member forum.

Do you have comments about an item in your collection? Made an interesting discovery? Seeking help from fellow collectors? Post a note about it in the forum.

You can view the forum by scrolling down to the bottom right of the home page or through the drop-down menu that appears under "Publications & Online Library" in the top menu bar.

Send submissions to the webmaster: leopold.beaudet35@gmail.com

View the forum

Wayne Smith compiled a list of 1868 Large Queen covers over many years. The end-of-2019 update includes 7,600 covers, sorted by postal rate and destination.

The census begins with domestic mail (4,700 plus covers), and then lists foreign mail to Newfoundland and PEI (86 covers), United States (1,450 covers), Great Britain (over 1,000 covers), and other foreign destinations broken down by country (almost 250 covers).

The end-of 2019 updated added 144 covers, and split out the covers to PEI into a separate table.

Census of Large Queen covers to the end of 2019 - posted May 2020

Fred Fawn passed away on 24 March. He was an accomplished philatelist, exhibitor, and author.

He did extensive research on the 1898 Map Stamp and the 1868 Large Queens issue, and wrote about his discoveries in BNA Topics, Maple Leaves, and Canadian Philatelist. His exhibits won Gold at the International level, and were the subject of books in the BNAPS Exhibits Series.

View Fred Fawn's memorial

George Basher, the editor of First Impressions, the newsletter of the First Day cover Study Group, passed away in March. An obituary will appear in the next issue of the newsletter.

Former editor Gary Dickinson will act as interim editor for the next two issues. Submit material for the newsletter by email to gandbdickinson@shaw.ca.

A search is underway for a volunteer to take on the editor role.

View the newsletters of the First Day Cover Study Group

The Société d’histoire postale du Québec recently published the book Catalogue des marques postales du Québec – Type 20 : Cercle interrompu “PQ” by Ferdinand Bélanger.

The book catalogues about 1,800 broken circle postmarks of Quebec where the province designation is "P.Q.".

More information on the Book Reviews page

The BNAPS eLetter is an electronic newsletter that provides communications about BNAPS members and activities. It also explores short topics dealing with BNA philately.

The newsletter is an initiative of Charles Livermore, BNAPS Secretary and Chair of the Membership Committee. It is published monthly, and distributed as a PDF file to BNAPS members by email.

You can access the newsletters through the drop-down menu under "Publications & Online Library" in the top menu bar.

Access the BNAPS eLetters

BNAPS has published four new books:

â–º  The National Christmas Seals of Canada 1927 - 2018, second edition - Cliff A. Beattie, Andrew Chung and Robert D. Vogel.
A detailed, profusely illustrated catalogue of the Christmas Seals released in Canada from 1927 to 2018.

â–º  Letters from Santa - David A. Hanes.
A colourful journey through the Christmastime letters from Santa Claus to children originated by the T. Eaton Company in the early 1900s, and later by the Robert Simpson Company and the Canada Post Office. Includes illustrations of all Santa letters known to date.

â–º  Catalogue of Privately Produced First Day Covers of Canada, 1927-1977 - Gary Dickinson.
An illustrated catalogue of the first day covers produced by private individuals and organizations for Canadian stamps issued over five decades from 1927.

â–º  Collecting First Day Covers of Canada - Gary Dickinson.
A comprehensive overview of collecting and studying first day covers for Canadian stamp issues.

View the latest BNAPS books

The Pence-Cents Era Study Group April 2020 newsletter (Vol. IX, No. 2) is a bumper issue of 34 pages.

Michael D. Smith provides no less than four well illustrated articles on plate flaws. On the postal history side, Richard Thompson describes a puzzling Cents Issue cover, and Ron Majors has an article on cover restoration that some might consider controversial.

Pence-Cents Era Study Group newsletters

The exhibit awards won by BNAPS members for BNA exhibits between January and March have been posted. The awards list is shorter this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Thanks to Adri Veenstra for compiling the listing.

View the awards

BNAPEX 2020 Halifax has been CANCELLED due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The decision to cancel was jointly reached by the BNAPS Executive and the host convention committee.

BNAPEX 2020 Halifax web pages

The Newsletters for the Pacific Northwest Regional Group has been updated on the PNWRG web pages.

Visit the PNWRG Newsletter Webpages

The report for the Golden Horseshoe Regional Group 26 January meeting is posted on the GHRG web page.

GHRG Meeting Report

Note from Ken Lemke, President, BNAPS

After completing several projects that were in progress, George Dresser has asked to step down as Chair of the Finance Committee.

George has been the Chair of the Committee since 2008. His stewardship and guidance have been outstanding. The Society owes him a big THANK YOU for his service. While stepping down as Chair, George will remain on the Finance Committee as a voting member.

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Barry Casanova as the new Chair of the Finance Committee. Let's all give Barry our support as he has taken on the Chair at a very difficult time. Barry is also the Chair of the Board of Directors and Chair of the Board of Examiners.

The work of the Finance Committee has kept our Society in a strong financial position through some very difficult times, and all members of the Committee are to be congratulated.

BNAPS officers, directors, and appointed officials

Here's a bonanza for those of you who are interested in Newfoundland philately. The Newfoundland Study Group has decided to do away with the five-year delay between publication of its newsletter and posting it on the website. Henceforth, issues of the newsletter will be posted upon publication.

As a result of this decision, the issues published in the past five years are now available. That's 22 (!) issues published from 2015 to the most recent (nos 158 to 179).

The Study Group believes that making its newsletter available immediately on the website will lead to greater exchange of information due to the increased exposure. It will also stimulate more interest in the Study Group with a possible increase in membership.

Several other Study Groups have adopted the same policy. They include British Columbia Postal History, Dead Letter Office, Fancy Cancel and Miscellaneous Markings, Pence-Cents Era, Precancel, and Squared Circle Cancels. In addition, the First Day Cover Study Group makes its newsletters freely available on its website as well as the BNAPS website.

View the Newfoundland Study Group newsletters

There have been over 50 new and updated Circuit pages placed on the website. Many new pages in KGV, QE, Precancel and other groups. Additional 10 QE sheets added 30 March.

If you're getting tired and want something to do, take a look at the pages. Also with your extra time now, why not submit some pages for the circuits.

Visit the Circuit pages

Wayne Smith has updated his census of 1851 Pence Issue covers.

The census lists over 4,300 covers in two ways:
1) By stamp/paper variety – lists the number of covers known for each rate paid by the stamp.
2) By rate – lists the number of covers known for each way to pay the rate.

The March 2020 update adds covers with perforated Pence stamps. This increases the total by about 200.

Wayne Smith's cover censuses

Memorials have been posted for Kathryn Lamb and Don Fraser who passed away recently.

Kathryn Lamb was the wife of the late Richard (Dick) Lamb, noted stamp dealer. She was a life member of the Kitchener-Waterloo Philatelic Society, and wrote the book, The Quiet Hobby: A History of Organized Philately in the Grand River Valley 1895 – 1985.

Don Fraser was a well known philatelist from Manitoba. He exhibited at BNAPEXes and wrote or contributed to several books and articles.

View the memorials

The Prairie Beaver Regional Group has published the Mar. 2020 issue of its newsletter, Beaver Chatter, Vol. 45, No. 1.

NOTE: the Regional Group's meeting scheduled for 28 March has been CANCELLED.

Illustrated mail collectors will want to read Vic Willson's proposed organization of this popular area. The newsletter also features articles on a new perf 12½ 3¢ Small Queen cover, the earliest recorded cover to the Bahamas from Canada, mailed on 17 Feb. 1871, and a registered cover to Brazil from the KE VII period.

See Beaver Chatter on the Prairie Beaver Regional Group web page

The March 2020 newsletter (No. 113) of the British Columbia Postal History Study Group features articles on:

â–º The Lytton post office

â–º A 1900 cover from Vancouver to the Philippines

â–º A probably unique 1918 cover from Palestine to Prince Rupert

â–º A 1943 cover to Sea Island with scarce ancillary markings

â–º Vancouver's White Spot

â–º Postal markings pertaining to the use of "void" stamps

View the newsletter

Earle L. Covert provides a Feb. 2020 update to the listing of illustrated indicia for permit mail. The update adds 386 new permit mail indicia and 59 new mailers to the June 2019 listing.

Canada Post introduced illustrated indicia for permit mail in 2006. The listing also includes forerunners, indicia with illustrations that appeared before 2006.

View the listing of illustrated indicia on permit mail

A new book, 100 Years of Union Dues Stamps in Canada and Newfoundland, 1880 to 1980 by Clayton Rubec and Ron Lafrenière is available in the Online Resources and Exhibits (ORE) area. 152 pages, 12.3 MB PDF file.

The book describes, lists, and illustrates the cinderella stamps issued by unions in Canada and Newfoundland for the payment of dues by union members. The book covers 54 stamp-issuing unions, including international unions based in the U.S. with locals in Canada and Newfoundland.

View new ORE contributions

The Squared Circle Study Group has published Squared Circle Postmarks of Canada on the 1898 Canadian 2¢ Imperial Penny Postage Issue (The ‘Map Stamp’): A Census of Off-Cover Cancellations by Rick Friesen.

This census of 3,461 cancels on off-cover Map stamps is compiled from numerous sources. They include over 58 years of public auction listings, three Internet auction sources (such as eBay), philatelic literature (including books and journals), exhibits, dealer stocks, personal communications from Squared Circle collectors, and the author's collection.

The link to the census is in the "Other resources" section of the Study Group's newsletter page.

The Fancy Cancel & Miscellaneous Markings Study Group has published its latest newsletter, No. 82, Feb. 2020.

Editor David Lacelle features another smorgasbord of fancy cancels from an enthusiastic membership. Reporters contributing to this newsletter include Vince Chermishnok, Daryl Friedhandler, Mike Halhed, Norbert Hobrath, Guy Jeffery, David Ross, Joe Smith, Ron Smith, Mike Street, Gary Steele, and Bill Wegman.

View the newsletter

BNAPEX 2020 news

PayPal is now available for the payment of exhibit frame fees.

BNAPEX 2020 exhibits

The Feb. 2020 newsletter (Vol. 9, No. 1) from the Pence-Cents Era Study Group is online.

Vic Willson explores a possible 1d 1858 newspaper rate of 1858. Michael D. Smith describes two states of the 1855 10d Cartier from position 60. In addition, Michael continues his detailed analysis of plate flaws found on proofs of the 1859 Five Cents Beaver.

View the newsletter

Three distinguished philatelists passed away recently:

â–º Major (Rtd.) Richard K. Malott, CD, FRPSC, FRPSL
Foremost Canadian aerophilatelist for many years. Among his many accomplishments: President of the Canadian Aerophilatelic Society; Editor-in-Chief of The Air Mails of Canada and Newfoundland; exhibitor and judge at the International level.

â–º Peter Currie Motson
Noted exhibitor with two books published by BNAPS in its Exhibits series.

â–º Kenneth A. Kershaw
Author of over 20 books on plating, including the four-volume study of the 1898 Map Stamp, published by BNAPS.

View the memorials

BNAPS has published a new book in the Online Resources & Exhibits (ORE) area of its website:

Post Offices of Pre-Confederation Newfoundland by Carl Munden. Formatting and editing by Malcolm Back and John M. Walsh.

The book traces the history of Newfoundland's outport post offices. The listing for each post office includes its location by bay and map reference, population, opening and closing, postmasters and general information, and illustrations of the various markings used. There are also sections describing the mail distribution to and from the outports and the types of town date stamps used. 479 pages.

Post Offices of Pre-Confederation Newfoundland

"Whitworth’s Plate Flaws on the One Cent Decimal Issue" by Michael D. Smith. Version 2, revised in Jan. 2020.

In the 1960s, Geoffrey Whitworth wrote about 15 flaws on the 1859 One Cent Decimal Issue. Michael D. Smith's article provides close-up illustrations of these plate flaws from an early plate proof and issued stamps. This Jan. 2020 revision adds illustrations of Whitworth's flaws 9 and 10.

New ORE postings

Four Picture Postageâ„¢ stamp booklets, BNAPEX 2020 souvenirs, are illustrated on the Souvenirs page. More to come.

What to do in the Halifax-Dartmouth area before, during, and after BNAPEX 2020? The Attractions page provides some suggestions.

The Exhibit Entry Form is posted on the Exhibits page. It was also mailed with the 2020 First Quarter issue of BNA Topics.

BNAPEX 2020 Halifax

The awards won by BNAPS members for BNA exhibits between October and December 2019 have been posted along with a year-end summary. 75 exhibitors displayed 142 competitive exhibits this year.

Thanks to Adri Veenstra for compiling the listing.

View the 2019 BNA exhibit awards

In memory of Bob Dyer who promoted youth philately within BNAPS for many years, BNAPS sponsors the Norris “Bob” Dyer $1,000 Youth Scholarship. The Scholarship, which is administered by the APS, helps defray the costs for a young collector between the ages of 16 and 24 to attend the APS Summer Seminar on Philately.

This year, the seminar takes place on 22-25 June at the American Philatelic Center in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania.

Applicants must be residents of the United States or Canada and 16 years of age but not older than 24 years of age as of 1 June 2020. The application deadline is 1 April.

Scholarship information and application form

On 1 January, 17 BNAPS members became Emeritus members, having been with BNAPS for the past 40 years.

List of BNAPS Emeritus members

The handbook, Squared Circle Postmarks of Canada, 6th edition, January 2020, is posted in the ORE area of the website.

The handbook was prepared by the BNAPS Squared Circle Study Group and edited by Rick Friesen. It builds upon the 5th edition published almost 20 years ago in 2001.

The handbook is organized according to hammer type and province. In over 680 pages, it provides an exhaustive treatment of each hammer: period of use, time marks, indicia information, stamp issues on which the hammer is found, rarity factors, and illustrations of hammer usage. Section 1 of the handbook provides an introduction to these fascinating postmarks.

New ORE postings

The web pages for BNAPEX 2020 Halifax have been posted on the website.

The annual BNAPS convention takes place on the Labour Day weekend: Friday, 4 September, to Sunday, 6 September. It will feature up to 160 frames of BNA exhibits, a 25-dealer bourse, study group meetings and seminars, and tours in the Halifax area.

The convention committee is still working on the registration package, but the convention hotel, the DoubleTree by Hilton Halifax Dartmouth, is ready to accept your booking.

BNAPEX 2020 web pages

The transition from Sparks Auctions to Bill Longley for the sale of BNAPS books is now complete. The Longley Auctions website has a list of the books available, and is ready to process orders.

You can browse for books on either the BNAPS website or the Longley Auctions website.

On the BNAPS website, use the "Search Books" feature to find books published on any subject or any era of interest. When you find a book you would like to purchase, click on the book's price. You will be redirected to the Longley Auctions website to complete the purchase.

Alternatively, you can browse through the online books catalogue at the Longley Auctions website:

https://longleyauctions.com/product-category/bnaps-books/.

All books are now priced at a single price for both BNAPS members and non-members. The price is close to the previous member price.

View the latest BNAPS books

56 newsletters from 11 study groups have been posted. The year of publication, Study Group, and number of issues are listed below:

â–º 2017 King George VI - 2 issue
â–º 2014 Large and Small Queens - 4 issues
â–º 2014 Military Mail - 5 issues
â–º 2014 Newfoundland - 4 issues
â–º 2014 Perfin - 2 issues
â–º 2014 Postal Stationery - 2 issues
â–º 2014 Revenue - 3 issues
â–º 2015 RPO - 4 issues

These study groups have requested a delay of 2 to 5 years between publication of their newsletters and posting on the website.

Several study groups have no delay period. Their newsletters were posted upon publication in 2019. The study groups include:

â–º Dead Letter Office
â–º Fancy Cancel and Miscellaneous Markings
â–º Pence-Cents Era
â–º Precancel

The following two study groups also have no delay period. Their most recent newsletters are now posted on the website.

â–º 2019 First Day Covers - 3 issues (also available on the Study Group's website)
â–º 2019 Squared Circle Cancels - 3 issues

In 2014, the British Columbia Postal History Study Group began publishing its newsletter electronically and distributing it to its members free of charge (a printed version is also available to members for a subscription fee). The Study Group recently agreed to have all its issues posted on the BNAPS website, along with a newsletter index and newsletter supplements. Newly posted on the website are the 24 issues published between 2014 and 2019 plus the index plus four supplements!

The editor of the Re-entries and Constant Plate Varieties Study Group newsletter, Michael D. Smith, stepped down last year, and made all the issues he edited available on the website. The eight issues he published in 2018 and 2019 were posted on 29 Oct. 2019. Do you have an interest in plate flaws? Would you like to edit a newsletter devoted to the subject? If so, contact Mike Smith for more information. His email address is dotsscratchesnwsltr@hotmail.com.

These newsletters are a fantastic resource and make for fascinating reading. Thanks to all the editors and contributors.

View the study group newsletters

The 6th Edition of the Perfin Handbook has been revised. The revision includes many additions to the various perfins. Revised sections can be seen by the date 2020 01 01.

See the revised Perfin Handbook Edition 6

Updates to the Circuit pages have been made. New pages under Queen Elizabeth, King George, Newfoundland, Precancels and more. Look for sheets marked Jan20 for new sheets or with Rpl Jan20 for revised sheets

Visit the circuit page