The Society for Canadian Philately
2022
26 Dec 2022
The December 2022 newsletter of the Fancy Cancel & Miscellaneous Markings Study Group, No. 93, is available.
The contributors include Richard Hautala, Mike Halhed, Doug Lingard, Murray Smith, Ron Smith, Mike Street, and Phil Visser.
The newsletter discusses fancy cancels from a myriad of Ontario towns: Albion, Almonte, Bealton, Camp Berryfield, Nicksville (renamed Nixon), Nober, Peterboro, Port Hope, Port Perry, St. Catharines, Simcoe, Smith Falls, Waterford, and Wellington. Other towns include Black Brook, NB, Souris East, PE, and Maniwaki, QC.
26 Dec 2022
The January 2023 issue of Study Group News, the news bulletin of the Newfoundland Study Group, features a memorial to Ken Lemke, a study group member well known in the philatelic community. He passed away on 17 December.
The news bulletin also has articles by “jogil” from the Stamp Community Forum, Klaus Wehlt, Anthony Thompson, and Chris Hargeaves.
20 Dec 2022
BNAPS regrets to announce the passing of Ken Lemke OTB on Saturday, 17 December. Ken was President of the Society from 2018 to 2020. Until his passing, he was the Circulation Manager for BNA Topics and editor of the King George VI Study Group newsletter, King George VI Post & Mail.
Ken was also Vice-President of the Royal Philatelic Society of Canada, Secretary of the Postal History Society of Canada, and Director of Programming for the Philatelic Specialists Society of Canada.
A memorial to Ken will be posted shortly. A new contact for the circulation and back issues of BNA Topics will also be announced.
19 Dec 2022
The Air Mail Study Group has just published the December issue of its newsletter, The Pilot's Log, Vol. 15, No. 5.
The newsletter contains details of the Study Group's next virtual meeting to be held on 5 February 2023, and notes that a film about Wop May, a pioneer air mail pilot, was made last year and can be viewed free of charge.
The issue features two articles:
► Gord Mallett offers an aerophilatelic salute to Wop and Denny May
► Chris Hargreaves describes some of the features of the second edition of The Air Mails of Canada and Newfoundland, published earlier this year
17 Dec 2022
In a video presentation, Darin Cherniwchan of the Digital Philately Study Group demonstrates how to use a scanner and PowerPoint to quickly spot plate flaws on stamps.
Using these two computer tools and a bundle of any one stamp, he creates "flip pages" of the stamp. The stamp he chose for his demonstration was the 3¢ Small Queen, but the technique can be used with any stamp.
His technique allows you to review hundreds of stamps in a few seconds to see variations you might miss if you were to examine the stamps one at a time.
16 Dec 2022
The December issue of Beaver Chatter (Vol. 47, No. 3), the newsletter of the Prairie Beaver Regional Group, is on the website.
The Group is holding an in-person meeting on Saturday, 17 December. The newsletter provides the meeting agenda.
The newsletter also features an article by Vic Willson about a newly found cover associated with Canadian involvement in the 1884 British Nile Expedition to Khartoum.
12 Dec 2022
The December issue (Vol. 43, No. 6) of The Roundup Annex, the newsletter of the Squared Circle Study Group, is available.
The newsletter reports on recent sales conducted by Sparks Auctions and Longley Auctions. The sales contained several squared circle lots including some scarce and sought-after material, as reflected by the prices realized.
The Sparks sale featured the squared circle collection of the late Don Fraser. Rick Friesen noted at least 58 items in the collection that were either current or new ERDs or LRDs, indicia errors, and rare strikes. The items are listed in the newsletter.
Editor Gary Arnold discusses the three squared circle “nude” obliterators used during the 1912-1927 Admiral period: Ottawa, Canada; Farnham, Quebec; and Waterloo, Ontario.
12 Dec 2022
The British Columbia Postal History Study Group recently published the December issue of its newsletter, No. 124. It features little known place names and postal services in British Columbia.
Tom Watkins illustrates a cover carried by "Ginger" Coote Airways (previously Bridge River and Cariboo Airways Ltd.) as part of its "courtesy air mail service".
Tracy Cooper discusses how insufficiently prepaid or poorly addressed letters were handled in British Columbia, the Dead Letter Office, and the "Victoria Exception". He also explores obscure postal regulations regarding the mailing of postcards in glassine envelopes. In two related articles, he sheds light on Japanese Internment Camps and the associated Work Camps, and illustrates a cover from the Internment Camp at Mara Lake.
Morris Beattie links Butchart Gardens to Tod Inlet, Bamberton, and the Portland Cement Co. In a second article, he links the Pavilion Mountain ranchland to the movie Spencer's Mountain and the TV series The Waltons.
Andrew Scott illustrates a cover acquired from Bill Topping with Dutchman Head postmarks. Never heard of Dutchman Head? Andrew's article explains why.
View the British Columbia Postal History Study Group newsletters
10 Dec 2022
David F. Sessions FCPS, FRPSL, FRPSC, OTB-LAA passed away on 5 November 2022.
He wrote many articles on subjects such as the Edward VII definitive stamps, 1930 KG V Arch Issue, 1933 KG V Medallion Issue, flag and machine cancellations, and fakes and forgeries. He also wrote two books: The Early Rapid Cancelling Machines of Canada and Philatelic Fantasies of BNA.
He served as Secretary of the Canadian Philatelic Society of Great Britain and subsequently editor of its journal, Maple Leaves.
1 Dec 2022
On 27 November, Chris Ellis gave a talk via Zoom to the Golden Horseshoe Regional Group entitled Advertising Stationery Cards of the Pure Gold Manufacturing Co. (A. Jardine and Co.), Toronto, Ontario (Coffee, Teas, Spices, etc.), 1896-1914. The video of this talk has been posted.
In the talk, Chris discusses how one company, Pure Gold, used postal stationery postcards from 1896 to 1914 to advertise and promote their products. At the same time, he provides the fascinating history of the ownership changes of Pure Gold from their start in 1896 until when, after 75 years of operation, they ceased operation. His talk combines a fascinating combination of philatelic and social history.
28 Nov 2022
The November issue of Study Group News, the news bulletin of the Newfoundland Study Group, is posted.
It features contributions from Blair Ashford, Jim Graham, Anthony Thompson, Earl Noss, and Malcolm Back.
28 Nov 2022
The Pence-Cents Era Study Group has just published its December newsletter (Vol. 11, No. 4).
Jim Jung discusses a number of plate scratches on the 5¢ Beaver from position 64, state 4.
Ronald Majors illustrates unique covers posted to the United Kingdom showing the reduction in the registration rate from 12½¢ to 8¢ that became effective on 1 February 1866.
Jim Jung explores some unusual handstamps from the Pence-Cents era.
Jim Watt illustrates two drawings once owned by famed philatelist Maurice Burrus.
28 Nov 2022
Richard Cromwell and Brian Stalker, members of the Railway Post Office Study Group, have compiled two cross-reference lists:
► Canadian Railway Post Office Database - maps Lionel F. Gillam’s list of railways with Ross Gray's list of Railway Post Offices.
► Newfoundland & Labrador Railway and Coastal Mail Steamer Database - maps Brian Stalker’s list of Newfoundland & Labrador RPOs and TPOs with the list compiled by Lew Ludlow.
Both lists include the number of official and mail clerk hammers, the RPO/TPO mileage, the period of operation, and the year that service began.
View the two lists - scroll down to the "Other resources" section
26 Nov 2022
The October 2022 issue (No. 30) of Dots and Scratches, the newsletter of the Re-entries and Constant Plate Varieties Study Group, is available.
John Breukelaar illustrates several newly discovered plate flaws on the Nova Scotia 8½ Cent Queen Victoria.
Hans Reiche wrote a pamphlet with sketches of Admiral plate flaws he had found. Bill Burden has been trying to find actual stamps with those flaws. He illustrates flaws on the 5¢ blue, 20¢ olive, and 50¢ black that closely match the Reiche sketches.
Newsletter editor Scott Robinson and Brain Hargreaves present compelling evidence for the existence of a second plate used to print the 2¢ Large Queen.
Earl Noss reports on a flaw on the 50¢ Queen Victoria Diamond Jubilee and a misplaced entry on the 1935 13¢ Royal Yacht Britannia. Jim Jung presents flaws on two 12½¢ Large Queen stamps. Michael D. Smith illustrates a proof block of the 10 Pence Jacques Cartier overprinted SPECIMEN with a major re-entry on position 90.
26 Nov 2022
At the Admiral Study Group meeting at CPS 2022 BNAPEX, newsletter editor Leopold Beaudet gave a presentation on new discoveries and curiosities on Admiral stamps. The topics included re-entries and retouches reported during the past year, a new type of plate flaw called a "compass arc" flaw, mysterious guide dots, and markings found on mail posted during postal strikes in 1918 and 1924. There was also a discussion about the most difficult Admiral stamps to find on cover.
Study group members and others who contributed to the presentation included David Bartlet, Bill Burden, Andrew Chung, Art Halpert, Jim Jung, Earl Noss, and Randall W. Van Someren.
19 Nov 2022
The presentation Canadian Varieties: Pence Issue by Arnie Janson describes re-entries, plate flaws, and paper varieties on three 1851 Pence Issue stamps: 1/2d Queen Victoria, 3d Beaver, and 10d Jacques Cartier.
The presentation also discusses a 6d Prince Albert with fake perforations and a 1/2d Queen Victoria with the scarce four-ring #48 cancel.
18 Nov 2022
The Squared Circle Study Group updated the 6th edition of the Squared Circle Postmarks of Canada handbook. The October 2022 update replaces all the sections of the January 2020 publication.
The Handbook lists the squared circle postmarks by hammer type and province. Each section is published as a separate PDF file.
16 Nov 2022
Raymond J. Dubeau's exhibit, Canada: Three Cent Small Queen, Printing Classes - The Montreal Period - 1873 To 1888 is posted in the Online Resources & Exhibits area.
This two-frame exhibit examines the shades, paper, and perforations found on the Montreal printing of the 3¢ Small Queen.
The exhibit was displayed at BNAPEX 2021 Virtual.
12 Nov 2022
The Map Stamp Study Group has published the October issue of its newsletter, Xmas 1898 Map Stamp Report (Vol. 2, No. 3). Here's what you'll find in this issue:
► Rick Friesen has a fascinating article on the history of a Map Stamp cover reputed to have the earliest postmark on cover.
► Scott Robinson continues his trail-blazing exploration of constant plate flaws on the Map Stamp's lavender/blue plate.
► Parker Moores illustrates a copy of the Map Stamp with a little-known re-entry.
► You've heard of the "muddy waters" variety? Arnold Janson illustrates some major shades of this colour changeling.
View the latest newsletter. Scroll down to "Newsletters - Third Series".
12 Nov 2022
The Perfin Study Group has dropped the five-years delay between publication of its newsletter, The BNA Perforator, and posting it on the BNAPS website.
The Group's newsletters will be posted immediately upon publication. Also, all the newsletters published between 2017 and 2022 (18 issues) are now available online.
The Study Group is very active, having published six newsletters this year. In addition, the Canadian perfin handbook is available online, and is updated periodically. The Study Group welcomes new perfin enthusiasts and new contributions.
9 Nov 2022
The Newfoundland Study Group publishes its newsletter every three months.
In addition, it has begun to publish Study Group News as needed to provide news about Newfoundland philately in a more timely manner and to disseminate member comments, queries, and responses more quickly.
The first issue of Study Group News, the October 2022 issue, is posted on the website.
27 Oct 2022
The awards won by BNAPS members for BNA exhibits between July and September 2022 are posted.
Besides the combined BNAPEX and National exhibitions in Calgary, BNAPS members entered exhibits in one International and three National shows this quarter.
Thanks to Adri Veenstra for compiling this listing.
25 Oct 2022
Robin Moore's five-frame exhibit, Newfoundland: 1840-1949 Postal Markings Issued to St. John's General Post Office and Sub Post Offices, has been posted in the ORE. The exhibit displays the known postal markings pertaining to St. John's. It includes 16 markings not reported in the philatelic literature. It displays about 50 items of which less than 10 are known to exist.
The exhibit won Gold and the PHSC Postal Markings Award at the 2018 PHSC Symposium in Hamilton, ON. It won Silver at the London 2022 International.
25 Oct 2022
ORE exhibits are now displayed in a new format that simplifies navigation from frame to frame and page to page.
Exhibits are initially displayed a frame at a time (frame view). Using a navigation pad, you can go to any frame. When you click on a page in the frame, that page is displayed (page view). You can magnify the page, go to the previous or next page, or go to the first page of the previous or next frame. You can also go back to frame view or to the list of exhibits.
Several improvement have also been made to the ORE listing of books, articles, exhibits, and external websites. Take a look.
15 Oct 2022
The October issue of The Roundup Annex (Vol. 43, No. 5), the newsletter of the Squared Circle Study Group, is online.
The issue features a detailed study on the Woodstock Type II Squared Circle Hammer by T. Aaron Gulliver. He examined 237 off-cover and 39 on-cover strikes.
The newsletter also has many more squared circle reports contributed by Study Group members.
15 Oct 2022
The Air Mail Study Group has published the October issue of its newsletter, The Pilot's Log.
The 2022 Day of Aerophilately takes place on Sunday, 30 October. The meeting will be conducted in-person in Toronto and virtually via Zoom. The newsletter has details including how to join via Zoom.
The second edition of The Air Mails of Canada and Newfoundland has been published. Ordering information in the newsletter.
The newsletter also notes that the Denny May First Flight cover collection will be offered by Select Stamps & Covers (Philip Wolf) on eBay.
11 Oct 2022
The Oct.-Dec. newsletter (No. 189) of the Newfoundland Study Group features articles on Newfoundland stamp printers in addition to stamp varieties and postal history.
C. A. Stillions sheds light on Perkins Bacon, W. W. Sprague, Waterlow & Sons, and John Dickenson while Anthony Thompson uses Perkins Bacon printing records to explore the speed at which the printer could print sheets of stamps.
Earl Noss illustrates a re-entry on the 1937 3¢ Long Coronation stamps and a plate flaw on the 1911 2¢ Royal Family stamp. In a second article, Anthony Thompson describes offsets on the 1¢ Cod definitive from the Waterlow & Sons archives. John M. Walsh and Robin Moore investigate size differences on stamps printed by Perkins Bacon.
Klaus Wehlt illustrates several Newfoundland Parcel Post pieces.
7 Oct 2022
Every year, BNAPS officers and officials prepare reports that describe their activities during the past year and proposed future projects. These reports are tabled at the Board of Directors (BOD) meeting, which this year was held on Thursday, 1 September, at the BNAPS convention in Calgary.
The reports are reviewed at the BOD meeting and the Society's Annual General Meeting. BNAPS members can now view all the reports on the website. The approved minutes of the Board of Directors meeting at BNAPEX 2021 Virtual and the 2021 Annual General Meeting are also posted (click on the "2021" buttons).
The 2022 Treasurer's Report is for fiscal year 2021. It includes the Balance Sheet and Profit & Loss Statement that were formerly published in BNA Topics.
Access to the reports and minutes is restricted to BNAPS members. You must log in to view them.
3 Oct 2022
The September newsletter (No. 123) of the British Columbia Postal History Study Group features fascinating stories written by several Study Group members about how they came to collect British Columbia postal history.
The contributors include:
► Tracy Cooper
► Morris Beattie
► Bob Forster
► Barry Milavsky
► Pete Jacobi
► Bruce Pollock
► Brian Copeland
► Tim Woodland
► Malcolm Leitch
► Ed Mannings
1 Oct 2022
After extensive discussion, the BNAPS Board of Directors passed a resolution at the 1 Sept. 2022 Board meeting to discontinue the BNAPS Exchange Circuit.
Current owners of material in the Exchange Circuit may email inquires to:
exchangecircuit@bnaps.org.
1 Oct 2022
At a 1 Sept. meeting of the incoming Board of Directors, Richard Judge was elected the new Chairman of the Board. He replaces Mark Berner who stepped down at the end of his term as a Director.
The new Board appointed Mark Oakley as Vice-President Regional Groups. He replaces David Bartlet who became First Vice-President in the BNAPS 2022 election.
27 Sep 2022
The August 2022 newsletter of the Fancy Cancel & Miscellaneous Markings Study Group, No. 92, arrived just before CPS 2022 BNAPEX.
The reporters include Mike Halhed, Randy Evans, Mike Street, Phil Visser, Bill Pawluk, Jason Broersma, and Brian Hargreaves.
Fancy cancels from Hall Harbour, NS, Andover, NB, Craigleith, UC, and, from Ontario, Kingston, McKeller, Owen Sound, Port Carling, Simcoe, Toronto, and Waterford were discussed, along with some paquetbot cancels.
8 Sep 2022
The results of the National judging and BNAPS judging for the CPS 2022 BNAPEX convention are posted on the convention Exhibits web page.
22 Aug 2022
BNAPS published six new books between January and June. One of them is part of the BNAPS Exhibit Series.
1. Catalogue of Canadian Railway Post Office Cancellations and Related Railway Postmarks including Selected Waterway Postmarks, 2022 edition - Ross Gray
The 2022 edition contains thousands of updates to the second edition, providing a much more complete and accurate reference. This edition also has many more postmark illustrations and additional hammer data.
2.Canadian Military Censor Markings Used In Europe During World War 1 - Wayne Schnarr
This book will help collectors identify the military unit from which censor markings originated. The tables in the book list each censor number currently known and the military unit to which it was assigned, along with dates of use and an assessment of confidence in each listing.
3. The Collection of Postage Due in Canada 1906 – 2005 - Andrew Chung
This book updates one written by Hans Reiche and Andrew Chung in 1985. Section 1 discusses each postage due issue from the first in 1906 to the last in 1977 plus an unissued design proposed in 1979. Section 2 describes the treatment and rating of unpaid, shortpaid, redirected and undeliverable mail. New to this book are postage due meter and register impressions, and postage due notice cards.
4. The Western District of Upper Canada: The Development of Postal Communications and Postal Markings, 1800-1850 - Robert G. Leigh (BNAPS Exhibit Series #113)
As the population of Upper Canada grew in the 1790s following the influx of the United Empire Loyalists, the fertile land mass along the north shore of Lake Erie became a prime area of new settlement. This exhibit shows the postal history of the Western District.
5. The Early Machine Cancels of Canada: 1896-1902 - Robert G. Leigh
Describes how Imperial, Bickerdike and ‘Geary’ provisionals machine cancellers were introduced, first in Montreal, then in Ottawa and Toronto, and finally in Hamilton.
6. Plating Canada’s 1/2d Queen Victoria - James H. Watt and Michael D. Smith
Explores the plating of the 1857 Half Penny Queen Victoria stamp using sharp, enlarged, marked-up images of re-entries, constant plate flaws and other plating features.
10 Aug 2022
The results of the 2022 BNAPS election held from 13 July to 6 August are available.
8 Aug 2022
The August issue of The Roundup Annex (Vol. 43, No. 4), the newsletter of the Squared Circle Study Group, is online.
The issue leads off with two impressive covers, one from the Maresch sale of the Fred Fawn Large Queens collection and the other from Colin Banfield.
David Robinson provides information about the use of the Goderich, Mount Brydges, and Port Arthur squared circles.
Rick Friesen asks for help in compiling a census of 8¢ Small Queen covers with a squared circle cancel.
The newsletter also has another slew of squared circle reports.
7 Aug 2022
The August newsletter (Vol. 2, No. 2) of the Map Stamp Study Group continues Scott Robinson's exploration of hitherto neglected plate flaws on the lavender/blue plate.
Rick Friesen illustrates two Map stamp covers with a Canadian National Exhibition slogan cancel - scarce because the Map stamp was issued in December 1898 whereas the cancels were used between May and September 1901.
Do you occasionally scroll though eBay looking for items to add to your collection? Scott Robinson's Map stamp discoveries on eBay might motivate you to look more frequently.
Is it possible to put twelve (12) Map stamps on a cover? Yes it is. Aaron Gulliver illustrates one. What rate did it pay?
Robert Lighthouse illustrates a Map stamp with a split ring cancel from Lintrathen, Manitoba. Lintrathen existed from 1884 to 1920.
7 Aug 2022
The August newsletter (Vol. 11, No. 3) of the Pence-Cents Era Study Group explores old and new plate flaw discoveries, and proposes a new cover census project.
► Jim Jung illustrates some recently discovered marks on the Pence Issue Half Penny, and uses plate proofs and stamps from different periods to determine whether they are constant.
► Ron Majors proposes to kick off a census of covers dating from the First Decimal era. Charles Firby did a census of Pence and Cents covers many years ago. More recently, Wayne Smith produced an expanded census of Pence covers. Ron proposes to do the same for the Cents era.
► Kenneth A. Kershaw discussed the "N-flaws" on the Pence Issue 3d Beaver in one of his books. Michael D. Smith describes and illustrates examples of these flaws he has found, and expands on Kershaw's conclusions regarding these flaws.
7 Aug 2022
The Air Mail Study Group has published the August issue of its newsletter, The Pilot's Log. It provides details of the forthcoming study group meeting at CPS 2022 BNAPEX.
29 Jul 2022
Julian J. Goldberg contributed the article "The Canadian Stamp Perforation Change of 1962" to the ORE.
In the article, he discusses a small but measurable change in the gauge of the perforations on Canadian postage stamps that appeared in 1962. The article also illustrates all the stamps known to exist with the two perforations.
28 Jul 2022
The awards won by BNAPS members for BNA exhibits between April and June 2022 are posted.
There are many more awards than usual for this quarter, a testament to the success of CAPEX 22, the International one-frame exhibition held in Toronto from 9 to 12 June. Congratulations to all the exhibitors!
Thanks to Adri Veenstra for compiling this much longer than usual listing.
14 Jul 2022
Every two years, BNAPS holds an election for its officers and five of its ten Directors. The 2022 election goes from 13 July to 6 August. Voting is restricted to BNAPS members whose 2022 dues were paid before 1 April.
Members who have provided their email address to BNAPS can cast their ballot online. If you received the BNAPS eLetter at the beginning of July, you have provided your email address. Members who have not provided their email address will be sent a paper ballot by mail.
More information is available in the July issue of the BNAPS eLetter. Results will be announced at the BNAPS convention in Calgary, 2-4 Sept.
For a few hours on the first day of the election, a glitch prevented the ballot from being displayed on the website. This problem has been fixed.
View the July issue of the BNAPS eLetter for more election information
10 Jul 2022
The July-Sept. newsletter (No. 188) of the Newfoundland Study Group features a mix of stamp and postal history articles.
Brian Hussey provides feedback on Brian Stalker's article about the registration markings of St. John’s General Post Office.
Klaus Wehlt follows up on his recent Zoom presentation with two covers from the William H. Davidson correspondence.
In his second contribution, Brian Hussey discusses an obviously philatelic but nevertheless intriguing 1903 cover.
Anthony Thompson comes up with an unknown plate on the 1941 Waterlow printing of the 2¢ King George VI definitive.
Klaus Wehlt also has a second contribution. He discusses a set of covers from Newfoundland stamp dealer Reverend E.A. Butler with a curious "Registered Return Requested" marking.
John M. Walsh and Robin Moore continue their analysis of design size variations on Perkins Bacon stamps issued between 1932 and 1938.
10 Jul 2022
The June 2022 issue (No. 29) of Dots and Scratches, the newsletter of the Re-entries and Constant Plate Varieties Study Group, provides another feast of plate flaws, many previously unreported.
Stephen Hellsten discusses two prominent flaws on the Nova Scotia 1860 1¢ Queen Victoria. With the help of Earl Noss and Jim McCormick, he shows that the flaws are constant and plates them.
William G. Burden dishes out a baker's dozen of plate flaws on the Admiral 1¢ green. The flaws were first described by Hans Reiche in a small handbook of Admiral plate flaws. Hans provided sketches of the flaws. Bill matches the sketches to actual examples.
The last issue of Dots and Scratches had an article on plate flaws found on the 1976 8¢ Royal Military College pair of commemoratives. The flaws are listed in Unitrade. Leopold Beaudet provides examples of a few more, not in Unitrade.
Earl Noss and Jim McCormick team up to present re-entries, retouches, and possible constant plate flaws on a stamp for which very little has been written, the 1898 10¢ Special Delivery. The position of the flaws is unknown, and a second copy of the plate flaws is sought to confirm that they are constant.
Scott Robinson rounds out the issue with a re-entered 1875 2¢ Registration stamp. The stamp turned out to be a lucky eBay purchase.
7 Jul 2022
CPS 2022 BNAPEX is looking for Exhibits. If you have one, please consider submitting it.
The hotel and registration bonuses are extended to 8 July.
3 Jul 2022
The July issue of Beaver Chatter (Vol. 47, No. 2), the newsletter of the Prairie Beaver Regional Group, is on the website.
The Group is holding an in-person meeting on Saturday, 16 July, its first of 2022. The newsletter provides the meeting agenda.
The newsletter also features an article by George Dresser on UPU small packet rates from 1979 to 2021. On 1 July 1979, the measurement of the weight used to calculate the rate changed from ounces to grams, The article illustrates several examples
26 Jun 2022
The June 2022 newsletter of the Fancy Cancel & Miscellaneous Markings Study Group, No. 91, has a mix of feedback and new reports from Study Group members.
The reporters include Mike Halhed, Frank Gross, Leopold Beaudet, Randy Evans, Rick Friesen, Phil Visser, and Guillaume Vadeboncoeur.
Fancy Cancel & Miscellaneous Markings Study Group newsletters
26 Jun 2022
The June issue of The Roundup Annex (Vol. 43, No. 3), the newsletter of the Squared Circle Study Group, has been posted. In addition to the varied squared circle reports, the newsletter features two articles.
► Rick Friesen describes a Map Stamp cover cancelled with an Ottawa Crown and a squared circle cancel.
► Bill Pawluk illustrates a registered cover to New York with multiple strikes of the St. Anne de Beaupre, QC, squared circle cancel.
23 Jun 2022
Wayne Smith has updated four of his cover censuses:
► 1859 Cents Issue Used on Cover after April 1, 1868
Census of covers with 1859 Cents Issue stamps mailed after April 1, 1868, when the Large Queens were issued. Updated in May 2022.
► Census of Large Queen Covers by Rates
Census of 1868 Large Queen covers, almost 8,000 of them, sorted by postal rate and destination. The end-of-2021 update added 103 covers.
► Canada Four Ring Numeral Cancel Census
Census of four-ring numeral cancels found both on and off cover. Updated in May 2022.
► Early Use of Two-ring Numeral Cancels on the Large Queen Issue
Lists the earliest recorded use of each of the 60 two-ring numeral cancels. The May 2022 update has two new earliest dates.
8 Jun 2022
The Air Mail Study Group has published the June issue of its newsletter, The Pilot's Log. It provides details of all the CAPEX 22 activities pertaining to aerophilately.
8 Jun 2022
The June newsletter (No. 122) of the British Columbia Postal History Study Group leads with an article on the joy of collecting British Columbia postal history by Andrew Scott and another on a 19th century BC postal history collector, Robert Taylor Williams, by Tracy Cooper and Don Shorting. It ends in a similar vein with a write-up of a cover with a Shuswap & Okanagan Railway RPO cancel on a Map Stamp by Vince Chermishnok.
Sandwiched in the middle are articles on:
► The Maitland-Dougall Family of Duncan, BC, by Bruce Pollock
► Postal history of the CPR's RMS Empress of Japan by Glenna Metchette
► Two Powell River sub post offices: Cranberry Lake and Wildwood Heights by Morris Beattie
Supplementing the issue is a monograph by Bruce Pollock that elaborates on his article on the Maitland-Dougall Family of Duncan, BC.
1 Jun 2022
On 14 May, Wayne Smith gave a presentation to the Large and Small Queens Study Group on International Mail Using the Large Queen Issue.
Among the covers he described are some to destinations for which less than five Large Queen covers are known and some showing very scarce rates
30 May 2022
Four study groups are holding meetings during CAPEX 22:
1. Re-entries and Constant Plate Varieties
2. Large and Small Queens
3. Admiral
4. Digital Philately
28 May 2022
The Elizabethan II Study Group published a special issue of Corgi Times, its bimonthly newsletter, to promote Elizabethan II philately during CAPEX 22.
The Study Group invited its members to contribute an article on the theme “My Favourite Canadian Elizabethan II Item”. The contributions were published in the May-June 2022 issue of the newsletter. The issue is available free to everyone.
23 May 2022
The May issue of Beaver Chatter (Vol. 47, No. 1), the newsletter of the Prairie Beaver Regional Group, is available.
The newsletter features two articles by Vic Willson: one on no less than three Small Queen covers sent to England and redirected to India and the other on the discovery of a fifth Large Queen Soldier’s Letter. George Dresser also contributes two articles: the first on die proofs of the first Postage Due issue and the second on usages of the 1903 7¢ King Edward VII definitive.
23 May 2022
Jim Hansen OTB passed away on 22 January 2022.
He was BNAPS Treasurer from 2001 to 2004 and Vice-President Study Groups from 2004 to 2007. Jim and his wife Dolores attended almost all BNAPEX conventions from 1985 to 2009, and hosted BNAPEX 1994 in Burlington, Vermont.
Jim was elected to the BNAPS Order of the Beaver in 2004.
13 May 2022
In a video presentation, David Piercey describes the first Newfoundland one cent postcard, issued in 1873, including its usages.
13 May 2022
The awards won by BNAPS members for BNA exhibits between January and March 2022 are posted
In contrast to the virtual exhibitions of the past two years, in-person exhibitions are predominating this year. There is also a surge in literature exhibits.
Thanks to Adri Veenstra for compiling the listing.
9 May 2022
In 1999, William G. Robinson prepared an index to the RPO Study Group newsletter that covered Vol. 1, No. 1, (Nov. 1973) to Vol. 27, No. 6 (Aug. 1999). Thanks to Ross Gray, that index is now available online.
Ross Gray also provided version 2 of the newsletter index covering Vol. 28, No. 1, (Sept. 1999) to Vol 49, No. 4 Dec. 2021). Version 2 corrects several typos found in version 1, which was published last month.
1 May 2022
The March newsletter (Vol. 2, No. 1) of the Map Stamp Study Group has exciting news for plating enthusiasts. The blue/lavender plate used to print the oceans has been neglected as a source of plate flaws. No more. Aided by Vince Chermishnok and Simon Taylor-Young, Scott Robinson writes about an extensive flaw found on this colour, which proves that more than one plate was used to print the oceans.
The other articles in this issue also break new ground on this 1898 stamp. Yves Drolet reveals what the collectors and dealers of that era thought about this "new issue". Rick Friesen illustrates a Map Stamp cover cancelled with both a squared circle and an Ottawa Crown. In the "Reader Feedback" column, Jim Watt, Vince Chermishnok, Rick Friesen, Steve Hellsten, and Gordon Demke report on new discoveries and comment on previous articles.
22 Apr 2022
BNAPS is hosting a free members-only reception on Thursday, 9 June, the first evening of CAPEX 22 in Toronto.
We ask that members sign up beforehand. You can do so online. The online sign-up allows you to sign up your spouse or significant other plus one non-member guest.
18 Apr 2022
Registrations for CPS 2022 BNAPEX are now being accepted. After 3 long years it will be our opportunity to get together once again. Visit the webpages and Register yourself to come to the convention, get a Hotel room or Submit an exhibit at this National Level show.
16 Apr 2022
The RPO Study Group has released a 55-page index to its newsletters published from Sept. 1999 (Vol. 28, No. 1) to Dec. 2021 (Vol 49, No. 4). The pages of the newsletter are numbered consecutively from one issue to the next. The index covers pages 1538 to 2807.
The index was compiled by Richard Cromwell and Brian Stalker and edited by Ross Gray.
Click to view the RPO newsletters page, and scroll down to the "Other resources" section.
11 Apr 2022
The April issue of The Roundup Annex (Vol. 43, No. 2), the newsletter of the Squared Circle Study Group, is online.
The newsletter features another helping of squared circle reports. The lead item explains how a postcard acquired two Waterford, ON, squared circle strikes with different dates.
3 Apr 2022
The Apr.-June newsletter (No. 187) of the Newfoundland Study Group is available online.
John M. Walsh and Robin Moore continue their analysis of design size variations on Newfoundland stamps issued between 1932 and 1938.
Brian Stalker updates John Butt's 1992 findings on the registration markings of St. John’s General Post Office to 1949.
Joan Sullivan, managing editor of The Newfoundland Quarterly, tells the story of Able Seaman Hedley Lake, the last survivor of the SS Caribou sinking on 14 October 1942.
Earl Noss illustrates another set of varieties on Newfoundland stamps.
Anthony Thompson explores the method Waterlow used to print the definitives reissued in 1941.
29 Mar 2022
The March 2022 newsletter of the Fancy Cancel & Miscellaneous Markings Study Group, No. 90, has many new reports. Study group members are keeping busy!
The reporters include Frank Gross, Daryl Fridhandler, Mike Halhed, Gordon Richardson, Jack Forbes, Bill Wegman, Garfield Portch, Guillaume Vadeboncoeur, Phil Visser, and Robin Simpson. In addition, editor Dave Lacelle has quite a bit to say about fake cancels.
Fancy Cancel & Miscellaneous Markings Study Group newsletters
21 Mar 2022
The March 2022 issue of the Air Mail Study Group provides details about the Annual General Meeting of the Canadian Aerophilatelic Society at ORAPEX in Ottawa on Sunday, 24 April. Steve Johnson will give a presentation on "Yukon Airways and Exploration Company Limited".
20 Mar 2022
The web pages for CPS 2022 BNAPEX are posted on the website.
The annual BNAPS convention takes place in Calgary on the Labour Day weekend: Friday, 2 September, to Sunday, 4 September. The venue is the Hyatt Regency Hotel in downtown Calgary. This will be the first in-person BNAPS convention since BNAPEX 2019 Ottawa.
The Calgary Philatelic Society (CPS) is hosting the event with the support of the BNAPS Calgary Regional Group. In conjunction with the convention, the Calgary Philatelic Society is holding a National level exhibition sanctioned by the RPSC. BNAPS members have the option of entering their BNA exhibits in both the BNAPEX and the National exhibitions. Each exhibition will have its own judges.
10 Mar 2022
The March newsletter (Vol. 11, No. 2) of the Pence-Cents Era Study Group offers an interesting menu: stamps, postal history, and culinary:
► Stamps - Michael D. Smith plates a block of four from a plate proof of the 1852 3 pence Beaver.
► Postal history - Ron Majors estimates that there are less than 30 covers from the First Cents period mailed to France and illustrates about a third of them.
► Culinary - Are you planning to attend CAPEX 22 in Toronto in June? If so, you will want to read Jim Jung's guide to restaurants in the convention area.
2 Mar 2022
The March newsletter (No. 121) of the British Columbia Postal History Study Group features several noteworthy articles.
In part 4 of his article on British Columbia joining Confederation, Tracy Cooper discusses the consolidation of the British Columbia postal service into the Dominion Postal System between 1872-1879.
Tracy Cooper also discusses the earliest reported example of the 2¢ seaman's concession rate, a letter posted on 15 May 1876. The item went for $11,000 plus buyer's fee and taxes in a November 2021 Eastern Auctions sale.
In a third article, Tracy Cooper illustrates a cover, ex Wellburn, ex Shorting, with the only known strike of a Gitwangak postmark.
Editor Morris Beattie writes about a cover from the Maitland-Dougall correspondence, and, in the "Favourite cover" feature, illustrates a Barnard's Cariboo Express cover.
Supplementing the issue is an index to Nos. 1 to 120 of the newsletter and a monograph by Brian Copeland on newly found End of Track correspondence.
27 Feb 2022
40 video recordings of study and regional group meetings have been added to the website. They include videos of the study group meetings at BNAPEX 2021 Virtual. There are now 80 videos on the website. Total viewing time is 48.1 hours.
The link below provides a list of all the videos available. The most recent are listed first. This link is found under "Publications & Online Library" in the top menu bar of most web pages.
You can also get lists of videos for individual study and regional groups. For study groups, click on "Study Group Newsletters" in the drop-down menu under "Publications & Online Library" in the top menu bar. Then click on the "VM" button for the study group you want.
For regional groups, click on "Regional Groups" under "Study/Regional Groups" in the top menu bar. Then select the regional group you want among those in the list. Note that not all the videos are listed for each regional group, but they will be in the coming days.
Thanks to Charles Livermore and Dave Bartlet for recording the virtual meetings and Charles Livermore for producing the videos on the website.
Note that access to the videos is restricted to BNAPS members. You must log in to view the videos.
21 Feb 2022
Earle L. Covert has updated the listing of illustrated indicia for permit mail. The 15 February update adds 24 bulk mailers and 333 permits to the 15 November 2021 listing. This is by far the most additions ever.
Canada Post introduced illustrated indicia for permit mail in 2006. The listing also includes forerunners, indicia with illustrations that appeared before 2006. The total number of permits in the listing is 3,934. The total number of bulk mailers is 816.
10 Feb 2022
The February issue of The Roundup Annex (Vol. 43, No. 1), the newsletter of the Squared Circle Study Group, is available.
Besides another generous serving of squared circle date reports, this issue features a list of the different squared circle postmarks found on the 1897 Queen Victoria Diamond Jubilee postcard. There are almost 100. Can you add to the list?
9 Feb 2022
Rick Friesen has prepared Barred Circle Postmarks of Canada on the 1898 Canadian 2¢ Imperial Penny Postage Issue (The ‘Map Stamp’): A Cover Census.
This census lists Map Stamp covers with Barred Circle postmarks, often referred to as precursors of Squared Circle postmarks. The hammers, introduced in 1892, were issued to nine towns in Canada (Halifax, Hamilton, London, Montreal, Ottawa, St. John, Seaforth, Toronto, and Winnipeg) and St. John’s, Newfoundland. The census lists 72 covers with Montreal strikes and one with a St. John’s, Newfoundland, strike.
This is Rick Friesen's fourth census of postmarks found on the Map Stamp.
5 Feb 2022
The awards won by BNAPS members for BNA exhibits between October and December 2021 have been posted along with a year-end summary. 44 exhibitors displayed 74 competitive exhibits this year.
Thanks to Adri Veenstra for compiling the listing.
3 Feb 2022
Mark Berner, Chairman of the Board of Directors, is pleased to announce the election of Laurent Bélisle of Montreal to the BNAPS Board of Directors effective immediately.
Laurent is a longtime BNAPS member who has exhibited at BNAPEX and other Canadian stamp shows. He serves as secretary of the Société d’histoire postale du Québec and 2nd VP of the Lakeshore Stamp Club.
Laurent fills the vacancy created when Luc Freve took on the position of Treasurer of BNAPS.
We congratulate Laurent on his election and welcome him to the Board of Directors.
24 Jan 2022
24 newsletters from eight study groups were posted recently. The year of publication, study group, and number of issues are listed below:
► 2018 Fakes and Forgeries - 2 issues
► 2016 Large and Small Queens - 3 issues
► 2016 Military Mail - 4 issues
► 2016 Perfin - 2 issues
► 2016 Postal Stationery - 4 issues
► 2016 Revenue - 1 issue
► 2017 RPO - 4 issues
These study groups have requested a delay of up to five years between publication of their newsletters and posting on the website.
The Fakes and Forgeries Study Group was formed in 2017. Its first two newsletters, published in 2018, are posted.
The following study group has no delay period. Its 2021 newsletters are now posted on the website.
► First Day Covers - 4 issues (also available on the Study Group's website)
Several other study groups also have no delay period. Their newsletters were posted immediately upon publication in 2021. The study groups include:
► Air Mail - 3 issues
► British Columbia Postal History - 4 issues
► Fancy Cancel and Miscellaneous Markings - 5 issues
► Map Stamp - 4 issues
► Newfoundland - 4 issues
► Pence-Cents Era - 4 issues
► Precancel - 1 issue
► Re-entries and Constant Plate Varieties - 4 issues
► Squared Circle Cancels - 6 issues
Two of these study groups, Air Mail and Map Stamp, were revived in 2021 after being dormant for some time.
The King George VI Study Group posts its newsletters on the BNAPS website immediately upon publication. Access to the newsletters published within the last two years is available to all BNAPS members, not just Study Group members. One issue was published in 2021. The newsletters are also available on the Study Group's own website. Issues older than two years are accessible to all viewers. In 2019, one issue was published, and it is now accessible to all.
These newsletters are an invaluable resource, especially for those collecting the subjects covered by the Study Groups. Thanks to all the editors and contributors.
23 Jan 2022
Wayne Smith has updated his Canada Pence Issue 1851 – 1859 Cover Census. This is one of seven censuses of early covers and postmarks he has compiled.
The census lists over 4,500 Pence Issue covers. About 40 were added in the January 2022 update.
23 Jan 2022
Well known and highly regarded stamp dealer John Jamieson, owner of Saskatoon Stamp Centre (SSC), retired last October. The SSC website, which went offline in December, featured many noteworthy articles and online exhibits. John agreed to have BNAPS host them in the Online Resources & Exhibits area of its website.
22 articles (plus an extra one inspired by an SSC article) are available now. The exhibits will appear soon.
23 Jan 2022
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 18 and 24 to attend the APS Summer Seminar on Philately.
This year, the seminar takes place on 19-23 June at the American Philatelic Center in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania.
Applicants must be residents of the United States or Canada and 18 years of age but not older than 24 years of age as of 1 June 2022. The application deadline is 1 March.
6 Jan 2022
The Jan.-Mar. newsletter (No. 186) of the Newfoundland Study Group is available online.
John M. Walsh reminisces about Newfoundland collector Terrance (Terry) Harris. Two of Terrance Harris's Newfoundland exhibits are posted in the Online Resources & Exhibits area of the website.
John M. Walsh and Robin Moore describe their discovery of design size variations on Newfoundland stamps issued between 1932 and 1938.
Looking for a new scanner to scan your stamps and covers? Before buying, read Anthony Thompson's comparison of eight different scanners, using scans provided by Study Group members Barry Senior, Jim Andre, Malcolm Back, Martin Goebel, Rob Moore, and Tom Meyerhof.
6 Jan 2022
The January newsletter, Vol. 11, No. 1, of the Pence-Cents Era Study Group is on the website. Among the articles:
► Jim Jung illustrates the 1859 1¢ First Cents Issue with the major re-entry at position 58 on cover.
► With the help of Jim Watt, Michael D. Smith plates an 1858 3d Beaver Pence Issue with experimental perforations. Michael also illustrates an unusual cover with the double epaulettes flaw on the 10¢ First Cents Prince Consort stamp.
► Grégoire Teyssier describes a newly discovered Pence Issue cover posted to France from Quebec.
► Richard Thompson continues his exploration of perforation varieties on the First Cents Issue.
► Peter McCarthy displays a collection of remarkable RPO covers franked by the 1859 5¢ Beaver stamp.
5 Jan 2022
BNAPS President Ron Majors has announced the following appointments:
Peter McCarthy, who has had position of Study Group Centreline Reporter for the last eight years, has decided to hang up his keyboard and give someone else the opportunity to take on this very interesting and educational columnist assignment. I would like to thank Peter for his dedication and perseverance in taking the newsletters of our many study groups and summarizing the entire content of each newsletter to a few paragraphs. Taking his place is Robert Lemire, who needs no introduction, having held many positions within BNAPS, from President to editor of BNA Topics and Postal Stationery Notes. Robert is a skilled writer and won’t skip a beat in doing a bang-up job with our Study Group Centreline column. Editors can start sending their latest newsletters directly to Robert at rlemire000@sympatico.ca.
For many years, Jeff Arndt has served as a co-editor of BNA Topics, from 2014-2018, with Ron Majors and later, from 2019 until the 2021Q4 issue, with Bill Wilson. Recently Jeff took on new responsibilities at his work, and feels these would limit the amount of time he could devote to editing BNA Topics. Jeff deserves the thanks of the Society for countless hours of effort during his eight years as co-editor. I personally enjoyed working with Jeff during my stint as co-editor. The good news is that Bill Wilson has agreed to continue in the position of editor of BNA Topics. For the present, Mike Street and Robert Lemire will provide any needed backup to Bill. All new articles and correspondence should be sent to Bill at wjfwilso@ucalgary.ca, 1517 3 St NW, Calgary, AB T2M 2X9, CANADA.
1 Jan 2022
The Map Stamp Study Group, reactivated earlier this year, has just published the fourth issue of its newsletter, Xmas 1898 Map Stamp Report. The December issue, Vol. 1, No. 4, features a mix of stamp and postal history articles:
► Vince Chermishnok identifies all the British Colonies corresponding to the red area on the stamp
► Rick Friesen describes a unique Hamilton duplex cancel on a Map Stamp cover
► With the help of Simon Taylor-Young, Scott Robinson illustrates a newly discovered re-entry on black plate 1, a plate not known for re-entries or retouches
► Arnold Janson shows a cover with two Map Stamps, ostensibly from the same sheet but with different shades
The newsletter also describes three Study Group research projects, with a plea for Map Stamp enthusiasts to participate.
1 Jan 2022
On 1 January, eleven BNAPS members became Emeritus members, having been with BNAPS for the past 40 years.
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This page was last modified on 2024-12-17.
