Large Queens

There is a story I heard after posting my last blog which I just HAVE to pass on. It comes from Ken Kershaw who after retiring from his distinguished career has taken up philately with unmatched passion and dedication. Ken was communicating with a fellow collector who has been a student of Canada's five cent beaver for more than 60 years. In that time he had identified close to 500 varieties of the different plates.

He brought up his collection to Ken and Ken showed him how he scanned the stamp at 1200 dpi and blew it up to fill the large screen monitor. Immediately the 88 year old collector's eyes lit up. Now he could see things he never saw with just a high-powered magnifying glass. He ordered a computer and scanner and couldn't wait to get home to use these new tools. In Ken's understated way he reckoned it had given a whole new purpose to this man's life.

Today we report on the first of some recent purchases. It is an accumulation/collection of more than a thousand Large Queens. When I first heard about it, I was skeptical about buying it. The price seemed too high and I already own more used Large Queens than I need for day-to-day retail sales. After carefully viewing the stamps, the price was still too high, there really were a lot of fairly ordinary stamps and I probably should have said no to the opportunity. However there were a lot of very fine stamps (and the page of five centers was one of the highlights) and there were also some very rare postmarks. So, as usual, the heart overruled the brain and I bought the lot.

In the coming weeks we will feature some specials from this purchase. It is available intact for a very short while.

Merry Christmas

Yesterday Ottawa received a dose of freezing rain. I drove a fair bit during the ice storm of 1998 but the rain of yesterday was much more slippery than 1998. When I drove home I used 4 wheel drive and travelled under 10 km an hour and still turned nearly 270 degrees instead of 90 turning onto my street. Today at plus 7 the ice is gone.

After selling our good Bytown stampless cover on Wednesday, today we sold the Canada number one on cover from Bytown dated June, 1851.

Traditionally stamp dealers do not have a strong pre-Christmas season. We attribute this to our customers using their stamp budget to buy gifts during December. This Christmas season, however, has been our best ever. One quite memorable change is that a very high percentage of parents or other relatives buying stamp starter kits for (typically) a nine or ten year old are buying them for girls. If that trend continues (and one place where it is noticeable is that among youth Exhibitors men do not dominate in the way they do in the adult categories) our hobby will have a different "look" in years to come.

We have been preparing for our post-Chiristmas sale. One item we have decided to feature (in addition to EVERYTHING else which is on sale) is uncut press sheets. While supplies last we are offering these all at the Post Office issue price (although at this low price they will not be eligible for Kimmerly Dollars).

On a Christmas theme, I was impressed yesterday listening to a local Rabbi who explained that for years he had been greeting his non-Jewish friends with "Merry Christmas" and observed that over time an increasing percentage were responding by wishing him a "Happy Honnakha". My daughter, like others of her generation who were raised in a multi-cultural/ethnic milieu, would be less impressed with the Rabbi than I was because she would regard his comments as unremarkable and quite normal.

During this season and extending into the New Year let us hope that everyone, everywhere can continue the feeling of peace and goodwill which is generated by the Christmas season and Christmas message.

To everyone, I wish you happy and safe holidays.

Imperial to Provincial

The item we show at left is a stampless folded letter. It was mailed from Longueil on April 4, 1851 (where it was rated 9 pence - a rate based on the mileage to be travelled) and was routed through the Montreal Post Office on the same day which was a Friday. By Monday April 7 the letter passed through the Bytown Post Office and the same day was received at its destination across the river in Aylmer. On that day (or soon after) the recipient picked up this letter at the Aylmer Post Office and paid the nine pence due.

Sunday, April 6, 1851 is perhaps the most important date in Canadian postal history. On that date the four colonies who joined in Confederation had control of the post transferred from British (Imperial) to Canadian (provincial - or colonial) control. Also on that date postal rates were dramatically changed.

This letter was mailed when the post was under Imperial control; during the voyage from Lower Canada to Upper Canada and back to Lower Canada, control of the post was transferred AND the rates were changed. As of April 6, 1851 the rate for this letter would have been reduced from 9 pence to three pence (a huge difference in those days). The first Canadian stamps were issued two weeks later and the first recorded use of stamps is May 1, 1851.

I was shown two stampless covers by a dealer who asked if they had any philatelic significance. The first and more attractive one did not and I suggested a retail value of about $20; but this cover caught my eye immediately and I suggested a figure which astounded my friend. He suggested that I put it into the store on approval which I was happy to do. I told him it might take a long time to sell because I priced it at a very hefty figure but when the right person came along the sale would be made.

The next day the first person to look at this under the counter is a noted postal historian and even though the letter had no write-up or price he immediately recognized the importance of the cover. He gulped at the price but after a few minutes of thinking about it (and my offer of a ten percent reduction) quite readily agreed to buy it.

Items like these we like to keep around for a while to show off to our customers. However they often sell as quickly as this one did.

Buying Estates

Just over 5 hours ago I wrote a fairly long blog; then because this picture had been inserted in a "draft" I hit "preview". Everything looked OK so I was about to post it; I couldn't find any button to hit so I went back one page. It was BLANK ....frustration - there is nothing on any computer that is safe when I sit down.

I have calmed down.

The picture is fairly late in the evening of our Grand Opening after the crowd had thinned out a bit.

The estate this morning was some 40 volumes with strength in Canada and USA. Before starting to appraise the collection I looked at some photographs of album pages - there were some obviously great stamps. When the album was opened it turned out the great stamps were photographs from auction catalogues. The real stamps eg #4, #8, Large Queens, Jubilees except the $3 and $5 were all bought from dealers who advertised the lowest price. What a disappointment. It's hard to find any stamp worth at least $10 that I want to add to my stock.

Nevertheless the collector who died at the age of 96 had a lifetime passion for stamps. And we will be passing on virtually all of his collection in the same manner and format as he collected. By tomorrow the volumes should all be priced and ready for sale. The early worldwide lot at $300 is my bet for the first one to sell.

New Zealand Souvenir

We spent much of the weekend getting our Christmas Flyer ready. It is 32 pages long; and Matt was here until 11:00 pm on Saturday finishing up. As a result he missed a fine hockey game with the Senators beating the Sabres for the third time this season. Now all the envelopes for sending the flyer are ready to go and we are waiting to hear that the print job is finished before rushing down to pick it up. We expect that we will get it all in the mail today. A broadcast email about the flyer will be sent out tomorrow or "soon".

Two of three cartons from an auction came in today. One group of lots which I bid on was some Great Britain mostly surface printed issues of Queen Victoria and I was successful on two lots of about half a dozen offered. My bids were prepared without seeing the lots (usually a no-no - and especially with classic stamps). I figured out what I could pay for the line-engraved issues and bid only that figure. After seeing the Prices Realized it was obvious that, except for one lot, I was the buyer or the underbidder. After opening the carton, a cursory viewing of these two lots suggests that they will turn out alright and I should be able to price them at about three times what I paid.

The lot which I liked the most was the New Zealand Presentation Book for the 1934 U.P.U. Congress in Cairo. There are four large tipped in sepia photographs, three of which show Maori women. The stamps include sets from the Cook Islands, Niue, and New Zealand George V definitive issues including Officials. Total catalogue value is not less than US$ 823.75. The stamps are affixed to the pages and if soaked off would be without gum; however the colours are wonderful and, except for gum, the stamps are Post Office fresh and mostly very fine which is above the norm for these.

Our price for this is $270; and I really do like it enough that I will make it our weekly feature on Saturday unless it is sold before then.

Christmas List

Things have been busy in the store; and I've neglected this weblog for 9 days now. Since starting to type in the title there have been three (now four) interruptions. One special project we have been working on is (now five) a sale flyer for Christmas.

This year it will be huge compared with previous years - a total of 32 or 36 pages. AND we have to get it in the mail before Christmas. (and now six - and seven). In addition to the mailing we will post all the text on our website and send out a broadcast email to our email subscribers. In this way people from outside the Ottawa area can take part in the sale.

Recent purchases include an estate from an airmail specialist, an interesting collection from a 90 year old (still sharp mentally but sadly the eyesight was going), as well as the ordinary. Tomorrow there are four scheduled appraisals.

Work on recent purchases has added significantly to Newfoundland (almost $6000 mostly VFNH), PEI over $1100 including carieties; George V from the Michael Roberts collection (over $11,000) etc. We have a nice Newfoundland remainder lot (CV by fine Unitrade is over $5200 - our price less than one quarter of catalogue at $1250.

Interruptions were holding at eight but the ninth forces me from the keyboard.

Michael Roberts & Grand Opening

I have two major events to report:

The "Michael Roberts" Collection

This collection was sold last weekend in Halifax. It was arguably the most complete Canada collection to ever come onto the stamp market. The collector (whom I know quite well) carefully assembled a mint single (often extremely fine & never hinged), a mint block of four or larger, a used single and used block (usually very fine and often SON (socked on the nose) and CDS (circular date stamp)) for every basic stamp, and also for the shades, printings, and papers which are varieties not always listed, and also for plate varieties especially re-entries; and, in addition, for the imperforates, proofs, and covers he was satisfied with basic pairs or singles as appropriate. In this respect by continuing to collect in this manner to the end of King George VI, this collection was closer to being complete than other famous collections of the past.

It is a shame that he never exhibited because had he done so some of the varieties which were in his collection would be better known. Also he might have inspired collectors to follow his example. The collection included many rare (sometimes unique) items but it was clear that he sought out the rare (and this is often distinct from the expensive). Several examples from the pence period: there are no mint multiples; he had a sound used twelve penny with a blue cancel (there are only two known and the other is faulty) but no mint example (which although very, very expensive is relatively easily obtainable).

Knowing all this I decided to concentrate on the remainder collections. There were fifteen lots of these. I was unsuccessful on Large Queens; Map Issue; Edward VII with Quebecs; Admiral Issue except coils; King George VI; and Modern Errors and Varieties. By aggressive bidding after a careful and thorough viewing I was successful on the six volumes of Small Queens; the Jubilees; the Leaf and Numeral Issue; the Admiral Coils; two different lots of King George V era; the Airmail, Special Delivery, and Postage Dues; the Registration Issues; and the War Tax Issues.

I was also successful on several dozen other wonderful lots throughout the sale. More details will follow reasonably soon.

The Grand Opening

Last night was our Grand Opening and in my completely unbiased opinion it was a great success. I'll probably report a bit more soon. Our local television channel made our opening the third story and spent three minutes airing what is in effect a tremendous commercial for the store. Visitors came from as far away as Saskatoon (John Jamieson).

After the opening I returned home and while carrying the garbage can slipped on the ice in our driveway and injured my shoulder. So while wearing a sling and with the first of four appraisals which are scheduled for this morning awaiting me, I'll sign off.