Edmonton Stamp Club
ESTABLISHED 1912
ESC OUR STORY
The world’s first postage stamp, England’s famous Queen Victoria Penny Black, appeared in May, 1840. Stamp collecting started the very next day and swept the world, touching down in Edmonton, Alberta in 1912 when a group of stalwarts met to form the Edmonton Stamp Collector’s Club. Edmonton’s two newspapers featured stamp columns and several downtown stamp shops became gathering places for keen collectors.
The Edmonton Stamp Club grew from its dozen male members to an enthusiastic group of over 500 stamp families who have met continuously for over 100 years to buy, sell, trade and learn about stamps. In early days, the Club met in Edmonton’s downtown Library. The current Monday meeting place is the St. Joe’s High School cafeteria which is in keeping with the friendly, family nature of the Club. New members and visitors are always welcome to share in the evening’s fun and fellowship……..
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Good afternoon ESC friends! I realize it's still high summer, but before you know, it will be time to meet again on September 14 - tempus fugit.
I hope you all had a fabulous time away and are ready to share your latest finds and wants when we get together.
For Canada collectors, I can recommend picking up a few copies of the "Wolves" souvenir sheet. These were released on August 13, and only 45,000 were produced - a sleeper for sure, especially used and you would be creating postal history.
I also have an exciting update to share with you today!
As you know we are keenly interested in attracting more young collectors to the club and the hobby in general. To that end, and amongst other initiatives, we have created an Instagram account under the Edmonton Stamp Club banner.
This is the most popular social media platform amongst the younger generations and our site will expand our reach and allow us to connect with new generations on their terms.
If you have an Instagram account make sure to follow us - the more the better. You can also repost anything we post there to your followers. To start us off, we have launched our "History on Stamps" initiative on IG, with one commemorative Canadian stamp issue highlighted each week.
The 2005 "Youth Sports" issue serves as our current profile picture as well as this week's history contribution. Let me know if you have any other ideas we can use to gain friends—see you soon.
Joe/ESC
Last update before our SUMMER BREAK
Our last club meeting took place this past Monday and, if you were there, you'll agree with me that this was one of the best meetings of the year.
Not because the janitor had to let us in, or because the room fixtures were reversed (although that was refreshing), but because of the phantastic presentation by KEITH SPENCER on the history of Villeneuve (AB) and the once in a philatelist lifetime opportunity to witness DR. JIM WATTS "operate" on a horizontal pair of Unitrade / Canada #1, the 1851 3d (pence) Beaver. You can view the video of DR. WATTS operation here: https://youtu.be/T7XwQMhIqsM .
This stamp is widely known as the first postage stamp of the Province of Canada. As a mint, VF pair it's also known to be missing in nearly all Canada collections.
By carefully removing the oxidation build-up on these expensive stamps Jim was, in his own words, "performing a transformation of a historic document and preserving history for future generations".
Thanks from all of us for sharing this rare moment and your skills and knowledge with us Jim!
With that, I will sign off, wishing you all a great Summer. I hope to see everyone again on September 14, at St. Joe's, 6pm for another season of sharing, learning and most importantly - to have FUN !
Joe / ESC
A great photo of the wrap up pizza lunch for the Paul Kane School Stamp Club!
Hello fellow collectors,
I received a phone call from Pastor Anne of the St. Albert United Church. "We have a large bag of stamps" . As President of the Edmonton Stamp Club would you be interested? "Of course!" I replied.
My first call was to Keith Spencer. One of our resident appraisers. He was all excited to go through these.
This morning, after Church service, Pastor Anne handed me a Laura bag full of goodies ( see photo) . Keith will have some fun. Bag weighs by my estimate 17.5 pounds!
We have a record number of forty-two junior members in the Edmonton stamp club. Keith will decide how to lot these.
Happy collecting everyone -
David V. PATTISON , President
Edmonton Stamp Club
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ESC OCTOBER BULLETIN
Inside this edition:
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A Historic Aviation Cover: Our cover features an envelope salvaged from the Trans-Canada Air Lines crash of February 5, 1941, in northern Ontario.
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President's Message: President David Pattison reports on our lively meetings, upcoming education sessions, and fresh updates on our ambitious "30 under 30 by 2030" youth initiative, which has already reached 46 juniors.
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Featured Articles: Wayne Madden concludes his series on Canadian stamps celebrating education, and takes a humorous look at the matrimonial hazards of King Henry VIII via a 1997 Royal Mail stamp issue. Plus, Judy Madden dives into the story behind a 1941 mail cover, and Bill Warwaryick shares a follow-up letter on the frustrating postal phenomenon of heavy-handed pen cancellations ("chirophilately").
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Club News & Winners: Catch up on club news—including a bizarre mail mix-up reported by Mark Oakley, and the lucky winners from our recent meetings.
Thanks to your generosity, the Edmonton Stamp Club has been able to collect 1000's of Pounds of non-perishable food, to donate to Edmonton's Food Bank in the last year.
The ESC are proud to partner with
Edmonton's Food Bank, to help provide food to those who need it the most in the Edmonton area!
WANTED: VOLUNTEERS FOR THE EDMONTON STAMP CLUB - A NON PROFIT ORGANIZATION
Want an opportunity to apply your skills? Add more to them?
Consider VOLUNTEERING with the Edmonton Stamp Club.
Why should I volunteer? What’s in it for me?
(a) Self satisfaction knowing that “you made a difference", by
volunteering your time.
This can help to strengthen the Edmonton and area communities.
(b) What’s in it for me?
Training will be provided by the ESC. You will gain knowledge and have an opportunity to socialize and meet new people. Volunteering can be relaxing and can relieve stress as well as improving concentration and self esteem. It may also enhance career opportunities, and it’s fun for the whole family!
To read more about this opportunity please click HERE
For more information please email:
The newest issue of the RPSC Publication, Canadian Philatelist is now available online!
Find it here: https://www.rpsc.org/
The newest issue of the American Philatelist is now available online for all American Philatelic Society members!
Find it here: https://stamps.org/the-american-philatelist
