What's New in BNAPS

2024

15 Mar 2024

The initial web pages for BNAPEX 2024 Kingston are now posted.

More details on accommodation at the St. Lawrence College Residence will be available in the next few days. The BNAPEX Committee is also making arrangements for a block of rooms at a nearby hotel.

Many of the study groups will be meeting at the convention. See the Seminars page for details.

The dealers page has a preliminary list of dealers who will have a table at the bourse. More are expected in the coming weeks.

The registration form should be available in early April.

View the BNAPEX 2024 Kingston web pages.

15 Mar 2024

BNAPS published three new books in February. Two of them are in its Exhibits series.

►  A People-Centered Philately: Canadian Pre-Stamped Post Card Advertising Series - Christopher Ellis
This book explores the advertising of private companies on official issue, pre-stamped, Canadian postal stationery postcards. It places them in a human-centered and historical context, focusing on the human beings and companies behind the postcards.

►  King George V Oval Die Postal Stationery Envelopes - Earle L Covert (Exhibit series No. 119)
The exhibit shows the complete scope of King George V envelopes – flat plate, embossed and “Lined Hair” varieties.

►  Rates, Usage and Varieties on Cover During the Cents Issue Era: 1859-1868 - David Schurman (Exhibit series No. 121)
The exhibit displays the postal rates in effect from 1859 to 1867 and show the ways the mails were used. It includes a sampling of major varieties that appeared during the printing of the Cents stamps and stampless covers mailed during this period.

View the latest BNAPS books

13 Mar 2024

After a two-year hiatus, Gary Dickinson has volunteered to again edit the FDC Study Group newsletter, First Impressions. He has just published the April-June issue, No. 51.

When Canada Post began producing first day covers, most of the cachet makers got out of the business. But not all. Gary Dickinson surveys the FDC producers who have been active since 2000. Very little is known about some of them. Can you fill in the blanks?

Bob Vogel discusses the work of a previously unknown cachet printer, A.W Dicks of Toronto, and illustrates a number of cachets produced in the 1960s.

Jon Berg submits a FDC for the 1937 Mufti definitive issue, and is looking for other cachets by the same maker, F. R. Rice of Ballston, Virginia.

Richard Hoffman wonders whether FDCs exist for the booklet pane for Canada’s last airmail stamp, the 1946 Peace Issue 7¢ Canada Goose. FDCs are listed in some catalogues.

View the newsletter.

13 Mar 2024

The March news bulletin of the Newfoundland Study Group is on the website.

Blair Ashford responds to the report by Earl Noss in the February bulletin about possible plate flaws on the 5¢ value of the 1910 John Guy Issue printed by lithography.

Earl Noss illustrates a cover from Newfoundland to Scotland, ON, and explains what attracted him to it. He also illustrates a Roessler cover for an aborted first flight from Halifax to St. Johns. Chris Hargreaves provides additional background information on the aborted flight based on research by Alec Globe.

View the March news bulletin (scroll down to "Study Group News" near the bottom of the page)

5 Mar 2024

The February newsletter (No. 96) of the Fancy Cancel & Miscellaneous Markings Study Group is to hand.

The fancy cancels mentioned in this newsletter come from Souris East, PE, Whycocomagh, NS, Montreal, QC, Sherbrooke, QC, Cannington, ON, Lindsay, ON, and Millbrook, ON.

Fancy cancel reporters include Mike Halhed, Jack Forbes, Jim McCormick, Robin Simpson, Robert Lemire, and Gordon Smith.

In addition, editor David Lacelle comments on the accuracy of hand-drawn fancy cancel tracings, proof strikes of the “Ottawa Crown” fancy cancel, fakes and bogus items, philatelic covers, and “skull and cross bones” fancy cancels from the U.S. and Canada.

View the newsletter.

4 Mar 2024

The February newsletter (Vol. 13, No. 1) of the Pence-Cents Era Study Group has a mix of stamp and postal history articles.

Vic Willson writes about a cover that paid the interprovincial letter rate of 3d per ½ oz. after 6 July 1851. What attracted him to the cover was that it was shortpaid. While researching it, he found several other noteworthy features.

Part 3 of Eastern Auction’s sale of the Brigham Pence collection features the only cover with a sheet marginal example of the 12 pence. John M. Walsh, Ron Majors, and Yohann Tanguay collaborate to confirm the lot description stating that this is one of only eight known 12 pence covers.

Michael D. Smith and Jim Jung discuss the re-entered printer’s imprint on the 3d Beaver stamp and flaws found on stamps immediately below the imprint.

Gilles Morel illustrates a newly discovered mixed franking cover from Hamilton to London, England, mailed in 1864. His article combines stamps and postal history. He identifies the stamp position and discusses the routing of the cover and its recipient.

Ron Majors describes several covers from the 1859 Cents era sent to England and forwarded to a second destination in England.

In another article that combines stamps and postal history, Jim Jung explores the gouge flaw on the 1859 5¢ Beaver stamp using as springboard a copy on cover from Bill Radcliffe’s collection.

View the newsletters of the Pence-Cents Era Study Group

4 Mar 2024

The March newsletter, No. 129, of the British Columbia Postal History Study Group is on the website.

Pete Jacobi contributes this issue’s favourite cover, part of the “Drewry Find”, that he chose for its historical relevance.

The issue features another cover, an 1860 stampless mourning cover that crossed the border between Canada and U.S. twice, from Montreal to New York and from San Francisco to New Westminster.

Mark Oakley describes his research into the correspondence of the Manson family of Nanaimo and the Mouat family of Saltspring Island, triggered by a cancel from Metlakatla, located 7 km northwest of Prince Rupert.

Tracy Cooper illustrates a bargain he found on eBay, a wrapper mailed in 1890 from North Saanich, BC, to a tiny fishing village in Hawaii.

Brian Copeland explores the opening and closing of the post offices at Independent and Lantzville north of Nanaimo due to coal mining operations in the area.

Morris Beattie continues his postal history of the Texada Island post offices in the Powell River Region. He looks at the Blubber Bay and Gillies Bay post offices.

View the newsletters of the British Columbia Postal History Study Group.

21 Feb 2024

The February news bulletin of the Newfoundland Study Group is available.

John M. Walsh discusses the size and colour variations on Newfoundland's 5d Pence stamp. He also plates a flaw on this stamp reported by Earl Noss.

Earl Noss has found more possible plate flaws, this time on the 5¢ value of the 1910 John Guy Issue printed by lithography. Can anyone confirm the flaws and identify the position?

View the February news bulletin (scroll down to "Study Group News" near the bottom of the page)

16 Feb 2024

The February issue (Vol. 45, No. 1) of The Roundup Annex, the newsletter of the Squared Circle Study Group is available.

Hare you heard of a squared circle duplex cancel? This is one of several interesting uses of the Moose Jaw squared circle cancel described by Brian Copeland.

Aaron Gulliver reports on strikes of the type 1 squared circle hammer from Aldergrove, BC, and Beeton, ON. There are also reports and updates from several other towns.

The newsletter has a memorial to Joe Smith, who passed away on 3 October 2023. He was Chairman of the Squared Circle Study Group from September 1997 until his death.

View the newsletters of the Squared Circle Study Group.

16 Feb 2024

The Perfin Study Group has published the February issue of its newsletter, BNA Perforator (No. 170).

The Study Group celebrates its 70th anniversary with an article by Jim Graham and Russell D. Sampson recounting the Group's history and accomplishments.

In advance of the next update of the Perfin Handbook, the editors are searching for confirmation of perfins on the 2¢ Admiral stamp with hairlines and on Admiral booklet stamps.

Russell D. Sampson analyzes the effects on perfin holes when perforating several sheets of stamps stacked together. Are there differences in the holes between the top and bottom sheets? If so, how do they differ?

View the newsletters of the Perfin Study Group.

15 Feb 2024

BNAPS has published The Story behind Canada’s Caricature and Landscape Issues by Larry Margetish, edited by Gray Scrimgeour and Brian Plain.

The book examines all aspects of the Caricature and Landscape issues, which replaced the 1967 Centennial definitives.

The book also discusses the mail handling innovations introduced during the period that the defintives were current. During that period, postal codes were introduced, fluorescent barcoding on envelopes began, and many postal rate changes were implemented.

View the latest BNAPS books

12 Feb 2024

Many years ago, the Perfin Study Group published a comprehensive handbook on Canadian perfins in English and French. The Study Group posted the handbook on the website, and updates it periodically.

The web pages for the English and French editions of the handbook were redesigned recently to make them easier to navigate.

View the Perfin Handbook

12 Feb 2024

Russell D. Sampson has compiled an index to articles on Canadian perfins published in BNA Perforator, the newsletter of the Perfin Study Group, and several other newsletters and journals.

The index is divided into two main sections:
1. A subject index
2. An author and contributor index

The index is available as a PDF file.

View the perfin index. Scroll down to "Other resources and references" or click the "Perfin Index" button at the top right.

11 Feb 2024

The awards won by BNAPS members for BNA exhibits and for non-exhibit awards between October and December 2023 are posted along with a year-end summary.

The results for 2023 show encouraging signs that exhibitions are recovering from the COVID pandemic.

Thanks to Adri Veenstra for compiling the listing.

View the 2023 BNA exhibit awards and the non-exhibit awards

10 Feb 2024

Topics Q1 has been delivered and contains an Exhibit Entry form. Please make you entry on the website as opposed to mailing in a form.

BNAPEX 2024

31 Jan 2024

The Squared Circle Study Group updated the 6th edition of the Squared Circle Postmarks of Canada handbook. The December 2023 update replaces all the sections of the October 2022 update.

The Handbook lists the squared circle postmarks by hammer type and province. Each section is published as a separate PDF file.

View the new ORE contributions

25 Jan 2024

Wayne Smith updated three of his censuses:

Census of Large Queen Covers by Rates, End of 2023 update
Census of 1868 Large Queen covers, over 8,000 of them, sorted by postal rate and destination. 175 covers added since the end-of-2021 update.

British Columbia Numeral Grid Cancel Census, January 2024 update
Census of numeral grid cancels, 407 on cover and 2,981 off cover, used by the colonies of British Columbia and Vancouver Island. 9 covers and 208 cancels were added since the initial census release in September 2020.

New Brunswick Numeral Grid Cancel Census, January 2024 update
Census of 1,066 numeral grid cancels on cover and 2,367 off-cover. 73 new covers and 243 off-cover cancels were added since the initial census release in April 2021.

View the updated censuses

22 Jan 2024

The January issue (No. 33) of Dots and Scratches, the newsletter of the Re-entries and Constant Plate Varieties Study Group, is online.

John Breukelaar continues his study of plate flaws on the Nova Scotia 1860 Queen Victoria 8½ cent stamp.

Michael D. Smith and Jim Jung discuss a re-entered printer's imprint on pane B of the Three Pence Beaver and the plate flaws found on the three stamps below the imprint.

Jim Jung describes the Gouge flaw on the 1859 5¢ Beaver as well as features of the cover the stamp is on. According to Whitworth, the Gouge flaw exists only on State 11 at position 23. The cover is from the collection of Bill Radcliffe.

Guy Jeffery describes a peculiar "dot in a halo" flaw on the 3¢ Small Queen, and the success he has had in finding copies over the years.

Jim McCormick illustrates the "hairball" flaw and several others that have a similar appearance on the 6¢ Small Queen.

View the January issue of Dots and Scratches.

15 Jan 2024

The newsletters of the First Day Covers Study Group published in 2022, Nos. 49 and 50, are posted on the BNAPS website. These were the last newsletters published by interim editor Gary Dickinson. The Study Group is looking for a new editor. If you have an interest in first day covers, consider volunteering. Contact the Study Group Chairman, Bob Vogel (email: berlinb@csolve.net).

Issue No. 50 consists of an index to issues 1 to 49. Gary Dickinson compiled the index.

View the newsletters and index.

15 Jan 2024

14 newsletters from 4 study groups were posted recently. The year of publication, study group, and number of issues are listed below:

► 2018 Large and Small Queens - 1 issue
► 2018 Military Mail - 4 issues
► 2021 Postal Stationery - 5 issues
► 2018 Revenue - 4 issues

The Large and Small Queens, Military Mail, and Revenue study groups have requested a delay of five years between publication of their newsletters and posting on the website.

At its BNAPEX 2023 Halifax meeting, the Postal Stationery Study Group decided to reduce the publication delay from five to two years. Last October, the newsletters published in 2018-2020 were posted. The five issues published in 2021 are now posted.

Earlier this year, the Railway Post Office Study Group also reduced the publication delay. Its newsletters published between 2019 and 2022 (16 issues) were put online several days ago.

Several other study groups have no delay period. Their newsletters were posted immediately upon publication in 2023. The study groups include:

► Air Mail - 1 issue
► British Columbia Postal History - 4 issues
► Fancy Cancel and Miscellaneous Markings - 2 issues
► Map Stamp - 1 issue
► Newfoundland - 4 issues (newsletter); 10 issues (news bulletin)
► Pence-Cents Era - 4 issues
► Perfin - 5 issues
► Re-entries and Constant Plate Varieties - 2 issues
► Squared Circle Cancels - 6 issues

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. Issues older than two years are accessible to all viewers. In 2021, one issue was published. It is now accessible to all.

These newsletters are an invaluable resource, especially for those collecting the subjects covered by the Study Groups. Consider joining the study groups catering to your collecting interests and contributing to their newsletters.

View the study group newsletters

13 Jan 2024

The January news bulletin of the Newfoundland Study Group touches on several topics.

Brian Damien describes the index to the Newfoundland Newsletter he has compiled. He will provide details at the Study Group Zoom meeting on Saturday, 20 January.

Jean-Claude Vasseur comments on a postcard shown by Gareth Williams in the November 2023 issue of the news bulletin. Was it posted by a Balbo crew member?

Earl Noss illustrates a constant plate flaw on the 1910 lithographed John Guy issue 15¢ value, and wonders if anyone knows its position.

Editor Malcolm Back previews an article to appear in the newsletter on a fine collection of Waterlow & Sons Ltd. progressive proofs and printer’s file examples of the 1941-1944 Resources issue from scans provided by Bill Coates.

View the January news bulletin (scroll down to "Study Group News" near the bottom of the page)

12 Jan 2024

The RPO Study Group recently reduced the delay between publication of its newsletter and posting it on the website from five to two years. As a result, all the newsletters published between 2019 and 2022 have been posted, and are available online. That's 16 issues.

In addition, several web pages devoted to the Study Group have been redesigned. Besides links to newsletters and videos, the pages provide information about the Study Group, list RPO and TPO resources, and explore some of the history of the Post Office railway mail service.

View the newsletters and the RPO Study Group web pages.

6 Jan 2024

The first newsletter posted in 2024 comes from the Newfoundland Study Group. It is issue No. 194. Among its contents:

►  John M. Walsh explores the differences in size found on the 1857, 1860 and 1861 Pence Issue 1d, 3d and 5d.

►  Klaus Wehlt illustrates format and usage varieties on early Newfoundland postcards.

►  Earl Noss discusses plate flaws on two stamps, and requests help in plating one of them.

►  From Blair Ashford comes a cover with previously unknown marking, "Shortpaid Postage/Postage Due ___ Cents/Gander, Nfld"

►  In the context of BNAPEX 2024 Kingston, Chris Hargreaves has a one-page display describing a cover sent by air mail in 1921 from St. John's to Kingston, ON.

View the newsletter.

3 Jan 2024

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

View the list of Emeritus members


Copyright © 2015 - 2024 The British North America Philatelic Society.
The documents on this website are for informational and non-commercial or personal use only.
Documents on this website shall not be used on other websites or for commercial purposes without permission.

This page was last modified on 2024-01-03.

Go to the top