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Canadian Provinces
Posted February
10, 2009
London to London 1927
Flight
Posted February
7, 2009
Posted February 7, 2009
King Farouk of Egypt
Posted February 7, 2009
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The Largest Stamp Store in
the World
Posted February 7, 2009
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Posted February 7, 2009
Posted February 7, 2009
Canada Semi-Official Airmails
Between the years of 1924 and 1932, a very interesting chapter of Canadian philatelic history was written. During this brief period, Canada's "Semi-Official Airmail Stamps" were issued.
In years gone by, these stamps were often regarded as labels or cinderella items, but they were actually authorized by the Canadian Post Office Department to facilitate the delivery of mail to northern communities and mining areas.
Thirteen private airline companies were allowed to print their own stamps and collect a fee for delivering mail to remote places that could only be reached by air. Many of the pilots had flown in World War I, and sought further adventure by flying into Canada's wilderness.
Semi-Official Airmails have always been popular with collectors because of their connection to a very romantic period of aviation history, and also because the number of issues is finite. A collection of the stamps themselves makes an impressive array, and you can delve further by collecting the numerous varieties as well as flight covers. Many of the stamps were printed in very small quantities, and even fewer of the flight covers exist. Very detailed records of the flights and pilots were kept, so for the avid collector the sky is the limit.
Our auctions always include a diverse section of Semi-Official Airmail material including pilot signed covers.
12 Penny Black sold for
$260,000 US
in New York!!
This beautiful mint example of one of Canada’s rarest stamps, the 12 Penny Black, sold for $260,000 US (hammer) yesterday (Thursday November 19th) at a Spink Shreves Galleries auction in New York. The hammer price makes this the highest price ever paid for a single Canadian stamp! This stamp was part of the BNA collection formed by bond king Bill Gross and sold in benefit of the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum. The result is certainly astounding and a further indication of the demand for rare stamps despite the current climate of economic uncertainty. The Globe and Mail featured an article about the sale of this stamp at their website:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/rare-canadian-stamp-sells-for-260000-us/article1370694/
Check out the front page of our January 2010 auction for a gorgeous used Canada 12 Penny Black.
General Balbo's Flying Armada
Aviation and philately are closely tied, so it is no wonder that airmail stamps are so popular. A very unusual set of airmails was issued in 1933 to commemorate a special Trans-Atlantic flight. An aerial armada of 24 Flying Boats commanded by General Italo Balbo, the flamboyant Italian Air Minister, flew from Rome to Chicago where the World's Fair was being held.
To honour this flight, Italy issued a set of two triptychs (an air registration label, a regular stamp, and an airmail stamp attached together) which are listed in the Scott catalogue as #C48-9. The set was made even more interesting when the abbreviated names of twenty of the flight's pilots were printed on the label portions. Outrageously expensive, the airmails were not well received by philatelists at the time because a complete set consisted of 20 sets of the two triptychs! The set is now much sought after, perhaps for the same reason. It is a real challenge to collect all twenty pilots.
Here is a check list of the twenty overprints that constitute a complete collection of Italy #C48-9:
| I. ARAM | I. CALO | I. MIGL | I. RANI |
| I. BALB | I. DINI | I. NANN | I. RECA |
| I. BIAN | I. GIOR | I. NAPO | I. ROVI |
| I. BISE | I. LEON | I. PELL | I. TEUC |
| I. BORG | I. LONG | I. QUES | I. VERC |
United States Postage Currency
When the American Civil War started in 1861, metal was needed for military reasons, and ordinary citizens began to hoard their gold and silver coins. The resulting shortage of small currency created a significant problem for merchants and consumers alike as most ordinary items cost less than one dollar. Since postage stamps already existed in small denominations, people started buying a dollar's worth of stamps and using them as change. The US Congress responded by authorizing the issuance of "postage currency" notes. These notes depicted current postage stamps and were used as small currency. Subsequently "fractional currency" notes were issued which did not depict postage stamps, but still served the purpose of "paper coins". In 1876, Congress authorized the minting of silver coins to redeem the outstanding fractional currency.
John Lennon
Every year we see dozens of childhood or “junior” collections. Most are only worth a few dollars each, but a few years ago Stanley Gibbons offered one for sale for £29,950 ! This particular collection happened to belong to a boy from Liverpool named John Lennon. The stamps themselves might have been found in any youngster’s collection, but the interest lay in the flyleaf where Lennon doodled and wrote his name and address.
The hardcover Mercury Stamp Album circa 1950 was acquired by the Smithsonian Institute’s National Postal Museum. When young Lennon was putting stamps in his album he would never have imagined that it would be displayed at the Smithsonian, or that his own image would one day appear on many worldwide postage stamps.
I grew up listening to Beatles music, and had a pair of tickets to a concert at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto in the 1960’s. On a trip to England several years ago I visited the Cavern Club in Liverpool where the Beatles first played. Many of you probably have memories of the Beatles, too.
Revenue Stamps
The postage stamp was invented in 1840 to collect fees for mail delivery, but governments soon learned that stamps could also be used to collect taxes. Aptly named ‘Revenues’, these stamps had to be purchased for a variety of services and products. Some countries issued stamps that served the dual purpose of both postage and revenue collection, but in Canada the majority of revenues were issued separately and had just one job to do. From 1864 to the present, Canada’s federal and provincial governments have issued stamps for taxing legal services, promissory notes, bills of exchange, electricity and gas inspections, liquor, tobacco, licenses, and also to collect more obscure duties like immigration head taxes. Revenue issues provide a wide variety of designs and some beautiful examples of engraving to enhance a collection of postage stamps.
Royal 2009 Show
A local newspaper, The St. Catharines Standard, featured a front page story regarding the upcoming Royal Philatelic Society of Canada Convention which will be held in St. Catharines from June 12-14. Here is a link to the article:
http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1601685
Rowland Hill and the First Stamp
Before 1840, mailing a letter in Britain was a complicated matter. The rate for each letter had to be calculated on its weight and the distance that it had to travel. The postman collected the fee from the addressee, not the sender, and after a letter had been carried over a great distance, the fee might not even be paid. Innefficiency resulted in high costs that made the postal system inaccessible to the masses. A man named Rowland Hill saw the need for reform, and the result was a uniform, lower postal rate that was prepaid by the sender.
It was Hill's idea to affix a little piece of paper to each letter as proof that the fee had been paid. The first adhesive postage stamp, the Penny Black, was printed in 1840. Since Great Britain was the first country in the world to print postage stamps, it probably did not occur to anyone to put the country name on the stamps. Even today, a stamp without a country name must be from Great Britain.
At the same time that the Penny Black appeared, Great Britain introduced the world's first postal stationery. Mulready envelopes and letter sheets were sold in One Penny and Two Penny denominations. Elaborately illustrated with patriotic designs by William Mulready, they did not prove to be popular at the time, but they are very collectible today.
The R.M.S. Nascopie
The covers pictured below have interesting stories to tell. They were carried aboard the R.M.S. Nascopie, a valiant little steamer that began her career as a supply ship for the Hudson's Bay Company in 1912. While the Nascopie is most famous for sinking a German submarine off the coast of Russia during WWI, her true calling was her annual voyage of about 10,000 miles from Montreal to the Eastern Arctic. She made thirty-four trips, breaking through ice to bring supplies to the traders and the Inuit population in about twenty northern outposts such as Port Burwell, Lake Harbour and Chesterfield Inlet.
On July 22, 1947, the Nascopie was driven ashore on Baffin Island during a wild Arctic storm. Fortunately, the 54 passengers and crew were rescued by the icebreaker N.B MacLean. Mail that was salvaged from the Nascopie was taken to Winnipeg for redistribution.
Because of the Nascopie's long and varied history, the covers that she carried are very popular with collectors today.
The Queen Victoria Chalon Head
I have always been fascinated by old pictures of the British monarchy, and some of my favourite stamp designs are based on royal portraits. The most famous portrait of Queen Victoria, by British artist Alfred Edward Chalon, was used on many stamps which are called 'Chalon Heads'. Canada was the first country to use the portrait on a stamp, the famous 12 Penny Black (Scott #3) in 1851.
Over 300 more stamps from 11 British Dominions and Colonies used the design including Canada's famous Jubilee issue of 1897.
Chalon first sketched the Queen in her royal robes in 1837. From this sketch, Chalon made three copies of the portrait. The first was given by the Queen to her mother. This copy was exhibited for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee in 1897, but since that time its whereabouts have been unknown. Queen Victoria also presented a copy to the King of Prussia, but it is believed to have been destroyed during WWII. The third copy, which the Queen gave to the King of Portugal, may be the only surviving copy.
The Chalon portrait had a great impact on the world of its day as it was only through the distribution of stamps and engravings that the people of the British Empire came to know the likeness of their young Queen.
Stamps Give Stocks a Licking
This article written by Richard Morrison is very interesting reading. It appeared in the financial section of the National Post newspaper on April 18, 2009.
http://www.financialpost.com/personal-finance/story.html?id=1508709
Falkland Islands
A British Crown Colony since 1833, the Falkland Islands are located in the South Atlantic about 300 miles east of the Straits of Magellan at the southern limit of South America. There are two main islands and about 200 small islands, many of which are uninhabited. The islands are small, having a combined land area of only 4,700 square miles, but their location gives them a strategic value that was demonstrated in both World Wars. In December 1914, the British Naval Squadron from Stanley, the capital city, defeated the German fleet at the Battle of the Falkland Islands and thus regained control of the South Atlantic. This battle is commemorated by the Battle Monument depicted on the 2sh6p value of the famous Centenary set. Twenty-five years later in December of 1939, a Royal Navy Squadron won the Battle of the River Plate, again allowing Britain to control the South Atlantic.
Argentina has long laid claim to the islands. Perhaps the most famous event in Falkland history occurred when the Argentine military invaded the islands in April of 1982, sparking an international conflict. The short-lived Falklands War ended in June 1982 when the Argentine forces surrendered to the British military after fierce sea, land and air battles.
Their beautiful stamps, their obscure location, and their rich military history have always made Falkland issues popular with stamp collectors.
Canada's Famous 12 Penny Black
The most sought after early Canadian stamp is the famous "12 Penny Black"
(Scott #3). It is a stamp that is missing from virtually all collections and is one of the world's more desirable classic stamps. It was printed in 1851 by the New York firm of Rawdon, Wright, Hatch and Edson which is the same company that printed the first issues of the United States.
The 12 Penny Black also has the distinction of being the first of hundreds of stamps to depict the well known 'Chalon portrait' of Queen Victoria by the British artist Alfred Edwin Chalon.
The stamp's use was very limited because it was issued for prepayment of the letter rate to Newfoundland and the West Indies. It is noted in Boggs that only 1,450 were issued to various Post Offices, and any unsold remainders were destroyed. Many authorities believe that only 100 or less examples of this stamp exist today. Collectors often use a Plate Proof of this issue to fill the space in their collections knowing that they probably will not have the opportunity to acquire the regular issue of #3.
Allan Steinhart
Allan Steinhart was one of the preeminent authorities on Canadian postal history. I first met Allan in the 1960's when he was a regular customer at my father's stamp and coin store in Toronto. Over the years we became friends and had lots of dealings. He was a frequent bidder in our auctions. During that time Allan amassed an enormous stock of Canada and worldwide postal history that became legendary.
Allan's sudden death in 1996 left a void in the Canadian postal history scene, and a book was published in 1997 as a tribute to his life. David Handelman and Gray Scrimgeour edited 'Allan Steinhart Postal Historian' which includes some of Allan's many postal history articles, anecdotes from people who knew him, and a wealth of information that any postal history collector would find fascinating. The book is well illustrated with many exhibition class covers that passed through Allan's hands.
In 2007, Charles Firby Auctions offered the balance of the Steinhart stock.
I was the largest buyer at the sale, acquiring thousands of $10 to $500 Canadian items. Covers from Allan's stock still turn up regularly, described in his distinctive style.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
One of the most famous stamp collectors of all time was United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The time that he regularly spent with his stamp collection helped him to cope with the pressures of his busy life and made him a firm believer in the therapeutic value of stamp collecting.
His enthusiasm did much to promote the hobby in North America. We regularly come across items from the FDR Collection and they always have a special appeal. It is fitting that President Roosevelt himself has been depicted on many stamps and covers from countries all around the world.
Captain Cook
I enjoyed
reading my friend Dr. Barry Floyd’s philatelic work entitled
Captain James Cook the Explorer. It was a real pleasure to read
Barry’s historical examination of Cook’s three voyages of discovery
combined with a philatelic review of related stamps and covers.
Cook’s fascinating personal story and his remarkable legacy are
complemented by full colour illustrations of stamps, first day covers,
and souvenir covers that were issued around the world to commemorate
events from Cook’s voyages. Barry does an excellent job portraying
the romantic image of South Pacific exploration, while also examining
the harsh realities of long, dangerous voyages and European contact
with indigenous peoples.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in Captain Cook or Pacific exploration.
Canadian Provinces
The Provincial issues of Canada have always been popular with collectors. British Columbia, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia had their own governments and postal systems until they joined the Confederation of Canada on July 1, 1867. Prince Edward Island followed in 1873. Newfoundland has the most stamps of any of the provinces since it did not become part of Canada until 1949. Because no more stamps will ever be issued, collecting the Provinces has added appeal since the goal of a complete collection is attainable. One can also acquire all kinds of interesting varieties, imperfs, proofs, postmarks and postal history.
London to London 1927 Flight
Aviation
and philately have always been closely tied, so it is no wonder that airmail
stamps and postal history are so popular. The postcard shown here tells
an interesting story.
In 1927, flying across the Atlantic was all the rage. Lindbergh completed
a Trans-Atlantic flight in May, but a dozen others lost their lives in
other attempts. The world was fascinated by the daring aviators who attempted
the dangerous flight. Carling Breweries of London Ontario offered a $25,000
prize to any Canadian or British pilot who could fly non-stop from London
Ontario to London England. Since it was not possible to fly that distance
on a single load of fuel, the rules were changed to allow a landing in
Newfoundland.
The plane ‘Sir John Carling’ piloted by Captain Terrence B. Tully and Lieutenant James Medcalf took off from London Ontario on September 5th. After stopping at St. John’s Newfoundland, Tully and Medcalf headed across the Atlantic carrying mail franked with a special airmail stamp that bore their portraits (#CLP6). The plane never arrived in England. The plane, the crew, and the mail were lost. In our May 2007 auction, we sold one of the 9 known copies of the rare “London to London” stamp for $38,000. Recently, much excitement was generated by the discovery of a printer’s proof of this issue. The proof was sold at a Talman auction in Toronto in December 2008 for $11,500 and made front page news in the Toronto Star newspaper.
The Carmichael New Issue
I
am very proud to announce the birth of my first grandchild, Elyse Milena
Carmichael. My son, Chris, and his wife Kim welcomed their new daughter
into the world at the Welland Hospital on Monday, September 15, 2008 at
12:48pm.
Elyse weighed 7lbs 8oz and arrived very quickly. In fact, Chris barely made it to the delivery room in time to witness the birth of his daughter. Kim and Elyse are doing very well, and they are all adjusting to life together as a family.
Who knows? Maybe our ‘new issue’ will be a fourth generation stamp dealer!
King Farouk of Egypt
Over
the years, many famous people like President Franklin D. Roosevelt and
King George V have collected stamps.
Egypt’s King Farouk was also an avid philatelist, and he assembled a
very extensive collection. He ruled Egypt from 1936 until 1952, but unfortunately
his regime was corrupt, and he was forced to abdicate as the result of
a military coup in 1952. He died under mysterious circumstances while
in exile in Italy, and his government put his royal collection up for
sale in 1954.
Several dealers were among the purchasers of the collection, and the stamps were put back on the market with the added appeal of having once been owned by a king! Prominent Canadian stamp dealer Kasimir Bileski handled many of the stamps, and he mounted some of them on special cards as illustrated here. Items from King Farouk’s collection are still very popular among collectors.
Royal 2008 Stamp Convention
We
very much enjoyed meeting many of our bidders at the Royal Philatelic
Society of Canada Convention held in Quebec City in May 2008. Stamp collectors
came from all across Canada and the United States to attend. The convention
was an excellent forum for collectors, dealers, and exhibitors to share
their knowledge, add something to their collection at the bourse, and
enjoy the many fine exhibits.
The 2009 RPSC Convention will be held in St. Catharines Ontario, about 30 minutes away from Smithville. Plans are well under way for that show, which will run from June 12-14, 2009 at the Parkway Convention Centre, 327 Ontario St., St. Catharines, Ontario.
The Largest Stamp Store in the World
As
many of our bidders know, my family has a long history in the stamp collecting
field. My father was in the stamp business from the 1930’s-70’s, first
running a large exchange club for collectors, and then owning stamp stores
in Toronto and later in Hamilton Ontario. The Hamilton store is the most
memorable one for me. The two floor store became a landmark for collectors
and was billed as “the largest stamp and coin store in the world”.
The store stocked over 2,500 albums of stamps for collectors to look through. It was also a hub for collectors looking for coins, military medals, rocks and minerals, and prints. Even though the store closed in 1974, I still meet collectors who used to frequent the store and have fond memories of dealing with my father.
Vance Goes Green
The Forestry Stewardship Council is an international organization which promotes the responsible management of the worlds forests. We are very proud that since May of 2008, Vance Auctions catalogues have been printed on paper stock which is guaranteed by the FSC as originating from forests which have been managed in an environmentally responsible, socially beneficial, and economically viable manner. For more information on the FSC please visit www.fsc.org
Canada Official OHMS Perfins
Canadian Official OHMS Perfins are a very popular colleting field. These stamps were perforated with an “OHMS” pattern for official use. Depending on how the sheets of stamps happened to be fed through the perforating machine, the letters appear differently when viewed from the front of the stamp. For your reference, here is a guide to the possible positions:
:
United Empire Loyalists
After the American Revolutionary War (1775-83) and the defeat of the British, many people remained loyal to Britain. Fearing persecution, a large migration of over 40,000 Loyalists came to Canada, resettling in various parts of the country. Many United Empire Loyalists were attracted to the Niagara Peninsula where Smithville is located. 
Their British culture and laws had a great influence on the area. A statue of a Loyalist family, created by Sydney March of England, has a prominent place in nearby Hamilton (about 30 minutes away from our office) in front of the former Court House.
This famous statue was depicted on a Canadian stamp in 1934 (Scott #209) to commemorate the 150th Anniversary of the arrival of the United Empire Loyalists. The stamp is considered one of the more beautiful issues from the middle period of Canada.
