• Job well done, KSC!
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• Canada: Engraved Stamps
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• Stamps colours
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• Paper money collectors?
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• 2026 Eastern Ontario Stam...
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• Tariffs are gone
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• Touring Toronto in 1908
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• My Bread Tag Collection
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• Wanted: Ideas to recruit ...
  Forum: Participate & Claim a Gift!
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  08-04-2026, 01:20 PM
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I had a great time helping out at the Spring Show yesterday and wanted to thank all who helped make it happen for us.

I also came away with some treasures, not least of which is this lovely Kingston cover with a "Canada Air Mail Official Opening of Kingston Airport Special Air Mail Flight Kingston to Toronto" rubber stamp. You know Kingston Airport... our OTHER Bus Station, LOL! This included a Canada Scott C1 stamp, which I didn't have, so hooray for ME!

   

I found that Canada 1930 stamps have many variations in colours not really well defined in Unitrade. An example, Unitrade #89, King Edward VII 1c stamps should come in green, blue green, yellow green, dark green just to mention a few. So how do you find which one is which. Unitrade #195, King George V Medallion issue, some say it comes in dark green, some say dark green, myrtle green, green and coil in deep green, while other call them myrtle green, deep myrtle green or deep dull green.
OK, so how do do it.  I do not know.  I have mainly used stamps and a few MNH that could guide me a bit.  

I tried a software called Sleuth.  One panel looks like it is giving me some information but the software does not have any help to decipher the colour reports it gives me in Black and white.  It is not supported.
iPhone Photos doe not work for me.
I tried Nikon photo software but my version id old and was intended for a PC not MacBook.
I could try Photo shop to remove known colours like green and see what is left (On my todo list as I must lease the software).
It was suggested that I try PERFOMaster 4000.  Very similar to Sleuth.  It allows one to created a spectrum of colours and it calculates deviations from that template. Meaning if my reference is green, it might highlight calculate a blue deviation the second stamps that is probably blue green. (I WILL TRY this one in May 2026).

Other suggestions?

Hey all! A friend of mine has asked if I know anyone who collects (old) paper money - she bought some old Russian and German bills some years ago and wants to know if they have any value.

Anyone in our club also a collector of the above? I can put them in touch...

Thanks! 

I just want to remind everyone the Kingston Stamp Club is hosting the 2026 Eastern Ontario Spring Stamp Festival, Saturday, April 18, 2026, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Crossroads United Church, 690 Sir John A. MacDonald Boulevard, Kingston, Ontario. The venue is wheelchair accessible and offers ample free parking.


This year’s festival will feature several local stamp dealers, club member dealers, and a consignment sales area. There will be something for every one! From an extensive range of definitive and commemorative postage stamps from around the world, revenue, Cinderella, and topical stamps, postal stationery, postcards, and first day covers, as well as, catalogues, and stamp collecting supplies will all be available to purchase. 

This event provides experienced philatelists, postal historians, and newcomers to the hobby with an excellent opportunity to enhance or begin their collections while exploring the ways in which stamps reflect history, culture, art, and nature in miniature form.

Admission is free, and everyone is welcome to attend.

Hope to see you there!

or contact Club President, Bob Gardner at 613‑389‑9587, or bandjgardner@cogeco.ca

I got this wonderful postcard at Roy’s auction last week. I let Hugh bid for me because I really, really wanted it and didn’t trust myself to stay sane if there was a bidding war. As it was, I started with a maximum bid of $25 and on the last day, while I was winning, I suggested he increase the maximum to $50. Just in case we were stuck on the ferry with no internet access when the auction closed. Hugh talked me out of that …

   

This card is from Valentine & Sons (John and James), a printing company founded in Dundee, Scotland in 1825. In 1903 they sent a representative to Montréal, followed by representatives for Toronto and Winnipeg. The six digit code on the lower left indicates that this image was first used in 1908. Valentine reused images when cards were reprinted, so you need to look at the postal history (if the card was used) as well as the Valentine number. This card was mailed in 1909.

Imperial Coaches operated in Toronto from about 1908 until 1930. Imperial had two motorized coaches built in Toronto at a cost of $6,500 each - almost a quarter of a million 2026 dollars. They were one of the first companies to introduce motorized buses to the city, and they differentiated themselves by having a roof instead of the more common open top. The buses were named “King” and “Queen”. 

I need to look at Roy’s auctions more often!

Our guest speaker this week was Val Mayers, who explained what varieties collectors do. She prepared a very helpful handout and a gave a very generous gift of a page of stamps to every participant. I have found that “fly specking” fascinates the group if it is presented in the later part of the series, once they have developed some comfort with general terminology. This was the third time I have seen Val talk about varieties, and I learn something new each time. But I still struggle to see donuts and bullet holes …

Val arrived early and was introduced to the church administrator, Amy, who had questions about how her ten year old daughter could learn about collecting. That was a match made in heaven!

We had a second featured speaker this week, Guy Monette, who spoke about the Canada 1898 map stamp. He shared a very wonderful story about how he got started as a collector. He also brought his stamp pillow to show the group.

Our final meeting will feature a panel - Val Mayers, Jim Gould, and - making his SATS speaking debut - Kevin Humphries.

Session 4 begins April 27. It is too soon to know if there will be enough people registered to run that program, but we will begin seeking speakers at our April 9th KSC meeting. You do not have to make a long presentation. We can group several speakers in one session and offer a philatelic potpourri! You don’t even need to have a formal presentation - you can bring a few things for Show and Tell.

Debbie and I are preparing to take two tables at this show. One table will be our usual "Lots and Collections". New this time will be an entire table of "U-Pick 50 cent covers". 

Some of you might already browse the jumbled boxes of 50c covers we usually bring to club meetings, but this time we will have a whole bunch of boxes sorted by country (and some topics). If we already have them ready, we can bring a few to the March 26th meeting. Let us know what might interest you.

In the future, we will also bring specific boxes to meetings, if asked. Heck, we might even let you take a whole box home on approval!

Let us know what works for you and we'll see if we can accommodate.

Roy and Debbie

We're not getting new members joining into the Forum, and there are a lot of members who are signed up but never log in.

I know stamp collecting is a solitary pastime for many, but most collectors can benefit from a place where they can ask questions, get encouragement and share. That's this place.

At the very least, let's talk up the Forum at meetings and recruit!

If you have other ideas on creating engagement, share them here. But more importantly, you don't need formal approval. If you have an idea that will engage existing club members, just do it!

Roy

See the thread at the top of this Forum for what's going on!

These are the participation gifts available leading up to the meeting for March 26. 

Sorry folks, I've been awfully busy the last two weeks. I haven't had time to dig out some new gifts. 

But you won't go without! I have multiples of all the previous items posted as gifts. Go back to any of the previous weeks and claim one! Please be sure to give me the description, not just the number, because I don't keep them in order.

Make your post, reply or comment in the proper forum and then come here and "Reply" to this post, say where you posted and claim one of the following gifts for delivery at the club on March 12, 2026. Webmaster (Roy) will put it aside with your name on it. Pick it up at the club. If you miss the meeting, so sorry, gift goes back into the pool. (We want you at the meetings too!)

More than one of each of these is available, but supplies of each are limited. Webmaster may not get to posting "This Gift is gone" in time, so it is possible you may be asked to pick an alternate.

See you all on Thursday, I hope! 

Anyone else here not on Turkey or Ham as an Easter meal? In our case, we go for chicken just because turkey, being high in purines, tends to set off gout in the hubby.

Anyone else have any more "unique" food offerings?