Received from a local Kingston resident:

Quote:We were transporting a relative's stamp collection (including many day-of-issue stamps/first day covers) to Kingston, but can't now find it. All we can think of is that it may have been taken from our car at the Invista Centre while we were watching our daughter's hockey game on Friday, April 24.

The stamps and envelopes were in two boxes and an envelope  - one was originally a "Toe Warmers" box with those words in red on the cover. The other box was plain white, with the word "STAMPS"  printed on it.

The day-of-issue envelopes were addressed to various Charlesworths (Barbara, David, Mark and John) at PO Box 603, Deep River, ON.

If you do have any contact with those stamps, or have any other ideas for people we should contact, please let me know.

This is a registered cover from Marseille to New York City posted on September 12, 1946. It is significantly over-franked as a philatelic souvenir with the complete set of 1945 'Committee' Series II stamps. 

The cover was mailed just before the Provisional Government of the French Republic (GPRF) was replaced by the French Fourth Republic. 

[b]Stamps[/b]:
France II Issue / Committee French Postage Stamps
Arc de Triomphe, Values overprinted in Black
Prepared and printed by the US Bureau of Engraving and Printing
Made available by AMG [Allied Military Government] postal agency to the Provisional Government of General De Gaule to replace Vichy Stamps
All denominations were delivered to the GRNF on October 21, 1944 and issued during 1945.
Series: 30c, 40c, 50c, 60c, 80c, 1.2Fr, 1.5Fr, 2Fr, 2.4Fr, 3Fr
Y&T 702 - 711

France / Liberation of Strasbourg (Coat of Arms)
Issued 1945
4Fr, Brown
Y&T 735

[b]Cancels and Postmarks:[/b]
Receiving Cancel:
Single Ring Die, inside the ring - [b]MARSEILLE-PRADO / BOUCHES DU RHONE[/b]
Centre - [b]18:30 / 12 - 9 / 46 [/b][6:30PM, September 9, 1946]

Hand-stamps:
Registration - [b]MARSEILLE PRADO / R. 630[/b]

Arrival Postmarks:
Oval Registry Postmark, black ink - [b]NEW YORK. N.Y. / REGY DIV.[/b]

CDS Registration, purple ink - [b]NEW YORK. N.Y. (STA. H.) / REGISTERED[/b]
Centre - [b]OCT / 17 / 1946[/b]

   

   

Cheers, Hugh

... for my last meeting with you fine folks until the winter as I head off to summer soccer on Thursdays in the evenings.

It'll be a quick in-and-out-for-me-meeting too, though. I have to get home for a 2 pm online seminar for work, sigh... 

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!

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