Monthly Archives: April 2019

Birds: Putter and Plague Bird (Netherlands 2019)

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[press release]
Goldfinch and Plague Bird: Loved And Feared
New stamp issue: Birds in the Netherlands

Note: This English version was produced with Google Translate

PostNL has released new stamps on April 23 for international destinations, with illustrations of the putter and the plague bird. These two colorful birds have an age-old name in Dutch history. Both illustrations were made by Michelle Dujardin, the stamp design by art director Yvonne Warmerdam.

EUROPA Stamp Best Design Competition
PostNL will also send the Birds in the Netherlands stamp sheet for the EUROPA Stamp Best Design Competition. This competition is organized by PostEurop, the organization in which all European national postal companies work together. The design competition for 2019 is all about national birds.

Free and Minimalist Style
On the stamps Birds in the Netherlands, the illustrations of the putter and the plague bird are filled with images in the stamps. The illustrations by Michelle Dujardin have its characteristic minimalist style: realistic, with a slight abstract-impressionistic touch. Michelle: “The putter and the plague bird are consciously set against each other. They fit well together, all 2 start with a p and both have a striking nickname. And they also form a beautiful contradiction – one loved, the other feared. While both are very beautiful birds. ”

Own Bird Version
For both bird drawings, Michelle used photos to properly capture the feathers, the colors and the shape. “But I always take the liberty to draw my own version of the birds. With a build-up of colors that you don’t always see at first sight,” says Michelle.

Second Issue with Garden Birds
As a follow-up to the issue for PostEurop, PostNL will issue a second stamp sheet on 20 May 2019: Garden Birds in the Netherlands. On this issue there are illustrations of 6 garden birds: blue tit, winter king, robin, house sparrow, golden rooster and great tit. Michelle Dujardin also provided the illustrations for this issue and Yvonne Warmerdam the design.

Availability
The Birds in the Netherlands stamp sheet has 6 stamps in 2 different designs, with international value indication 1 for mail up to and including 20 grams with an international destination. The stamps are available from April 23 at the post office in the Bruna stores and via the website. The stamps can also be ordered by telephone from Collect Club customer service on telephone number 088 – 868 99 00. The validity period is indefinite.

Hotchner: Collecting On A Tight Budget

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Financing A Stamp Collection On A Tight Budget
By John M. Hotchner

If it’s true that there is no such thing as a free lunch, then stamp collecting is subject to the rule. One of the reasons that our hobby is not embraced as a serious pursuit by young people (by which I mean those from 10 to 50), is that it costs money, and those are the years when potential collectors usually have other, more pressing uses for relatively scarce dollars. Later in life, the kids are grown and on their own, housing needs are not so much a drain, the outflow of dollars associated with the 9-5 job is mitigated by retirement, and those who have planned for retirement often have disposable income that can be devoted to a wide range of pleasurable activities that were harder to justify when younger.

But speaking as one who started as a young teenager and never quit (and we are a distinct minority) I want to pass along the ways I developed to feed my stamp collection in the post- college years when dollars were scarce. How scarce? My first job in the U.S. Foreign Service paid the magnificent sum of $5,194 per year! Though I had steady promotions, they were eaten up by marriage and establishing a home, four children in five years, and the expenses thereunto pertaining. Note, I’m not complaining. I would not have done anything differently. But there was not much left over for hobbies. I doubt things have improved markedly for today’s youngsters.

The first lesson I learned was that I couldn’t/shouldn’t spend family money on stamps. So, where would money come from? As a teenager and at college, I spent most of my lawn mowing/snow shoveling money on stamps. The result was that, as I began my work life, I had a decent collection that was expansive compared to what I actually wanted to get more deeply involved with. So, at the local stamp club, I began to sell off what I didn’t need, and that money went into a separate stamp fund. I used it to buy material for my specialty collections (Christmas seals and AMG material mostly), but also bought collections at auction.

Auctioneers and dealers, I learned, usually bought col- lections, took the best material out to sell as individual stamps or small lots, and that made their cost and a short-term profit. The leftovers went to auction as collection remainders that often realized no more than 5-10% of Scott Catalogue. I found I could break those collections down into smaller lots for my club auction, where members would be happy to buy at 20-25% of Scott. And since I had been a collector for a while, and knew how to watermark, perforate, tell papers apart, etc., it became a game to identify better items that the collectors and dealers had missed. Since I had time and limited money, I could use the former to rectify the latter.

I also found that buying collection remainders was a great way to fill album holes because 80+% of most countries’ stamps were low to moderate priced stamps that dealers would skip over in arriving at their buying price, and in making up higher priced lots to sell. In those early years, I began collecting several of the countries I visited, and got them to perhaps 70% complete from collection remainders.

Meanwhile my stamp account was getting healthy enough that I could buy the occasional better stamp or set for my serious collections.

Another thing I learned is that discretionary money means just that. I could buy lots of cheap stamps and fill a bunch of album spaces, or expensive stamps in poor condition to do the same. But something my father told me registered. He said that cheap stamps will almost always remain cheap. And damaged stamps, unless great rarities, will also remain cheap. So, I made a decision to spend my money on good stamps in Fine or better condition, and the occasional rarity if in sound condition and it looked good from the front.

I was not thinking of myself as an investor, and still don’t. But I am mindful of the fact that at some future time, my heirs will be selling my collection, and the better the stamps and the better their condition, the easier they will be to sell. And it pleases me to know that, unlike greens fees, concert tickets, and fine wines consumed, all of which have no value once the event is passed (though the money will have bought wonderful memories), my collection will have value to those who come after me.

In my early years, stamp clubs were essential to me; not only for selling, but for buying and trading. We’ll get to the latter in a moment. But just as I was selling excess material, other club members and sometimes their heirs, were also using the monthly club auctions (and some clubs had sales book systems as well) to do the same.

Club auctions were then, and remain, a bargain-hunter’s paradise. Sellers don’t expect to get full catalogue. The club auction, as compared to other methods of selling stamps (and covers), is fast, low on paperwork and commissions, and the income is immediate.

These days sellers can also use eBay, APS Stamp Store and the like, but for the bread-and-butter material that every collection needs, the club auction remains a staple.

Now, let’s talk about trading. In some sense this seems to be a lost art, but it was for me, and remains, a great method of acquiring material, and there are no taxes involved since no money is changing hands!

Again, your local club, and national societies where you meet others with your interests, are a key to trading. There are several methods: trading according to catalogue value; stamp for stamp or cover for cover, and if mint stamps are involved, face value for face value.

You can, and most people do, trade duplicates. But what is essential is that you are getting something you really want, and to do that, you may decide to trade material that is in your collection for something that you want even more. An example: In my Christmas Seal collection, I began collecting everything I could get my hands on. Eventually, I found I liked the 1934 design best, and found it to be a worthy challenge to gather material to illustrate its history, production, use, and the items used to market it.

Another collector had material I wanted. He would not sell it. But I had some 1913 material he wanted, and though I liked it, it was not as important to me as the 1934 items he had, so we swapped. In cash value, he probably got the better of the deal. But I’d make that trade again in a heartbeat. The point here is that trading can sometimes go in unusual directions, and so long as both collectors involved are happy, it is a good trade.

One final thought before I close. Sometimes I saw items — both with dealers and collectors — that were available, and that I wanted, but were in the “I could never afford that” category. If we are a prisoner of our own thought processes, most of us interpret that concept as “I could never have enough money at one time to pay for item X”, and that may well be true.

But I learned early to offer a down payment, with a promise to pay off the remainder owed on a schedule, over a reasonable amount of time. I have never had a seller turn me down. And I have never defaulted. That is because of two things:

  1. Having made that contract, I am motivated to sell material so that the money would be there when I needed to write a check. I might mention that I met someone at the local club who was happy to pay me to do his washing and cataloguing. What he paid was far short of minimum wage, but it was welcome and useful.
  2. Sometimes, the reaction “I could never afford that” does not arise from a lack of money so much as from how you have chosen to allocate what you have. Several times I have found that I could afford something I wanted badly if I were willing to reallocate how I had planned to spend what I had. It was a matter of deciding what I wanted more, and exercising some level of flexibility.

The bottom line to this discussion is that being young with financial responsibilities need not mean that you can’t be a stamp collector. It does mean that you have to look for ways in which you can generate income to have a nest egg to be able to purchase material you want and need. And you need to use resources you have available like your local stamp club, the knowledge you have accumulated, and time. With moderate expenditures you can have a lot of fun and build a satisfying collection.

Should you wish to comment on this column, or have questions or ideas you would like to have explored in a future column, please write to John Hotchner, VSC Contributor, P.O. Box 1125, Falls Church, VA 22041-0125, or email, putting “VSC” in the subject line.

Or comment right here.

Indigenous Languages (Australia 2019)

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[press release]
Australia Post Celebrates Indigenous Languages

Australia Post is marking the International Year of Indigenous Languages 2019 with a commemorative stamp celebrating the more than 250 indigenous languages in our nation’s history.

The United Nations suggests that around 40 per cent of the estimated 6,700 languages spoken around the world are in danger of disappearing. The United Nations General Assembly declared 2019 the International Year of Indigenous Languages (IYIL 2019) to raise awareness of the crucial role languages play in people’s lives, cultural identity and wellbeing.

In the Australian context, IYIL 2019 is an opportunity to shine a light on the important work being done to preserve and promote Australia’s Indigenous languages by communities and organisations around the country. This includes the more than 20 Indigenous language centres funded by the Commonwealth Department of Communications and the Arts.

Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) CEO and member of the IYIL 2019 steering committee Craig Ritchie said: “This year presents a great opportunity to have a national discussion about the role Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures play in shaping the nation and informing our identity.”

“More than 250 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages were spoken at the time of European settlement in 1788. Today only 13 of these languages are acquired as first language by the youngest generation – a crucial element for language maintenance.”

Designed by Sharon Rodziewicz of the Australia Post Design Studio, the domestic base-rate ($1) stamp features the official United Nations logo for the International Year of Indigenous Languages 2019.

The map featured on the sheetlet pack represents the regions associated with the hundreds of Indigenous language variations, both current and historical, recorded in the Australian Indigenous languages database developed and maintained by AIATSIS.

Products associated with this issue include a first day cover, sheetlet pack, maxicard, postal numismatic cover, and sheetlet of 10 x $1.

The stamp and associated products are available at participating Post Offices, via mail order on 1800 331 794, and online at auspost.com.au/stamps, from Tuesday 30 April 2019 while stocks last.

APS 2019 Board Candidates

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Here are the candidates in the American Philatelic Society Board of Directors election. Note that there is only one candidate for each open position this time:

President: Robert Zeigler, Indianapolis, IN

Board of Vice Presidents (run as a team of 3):

  • Cheryl Ganz, Winfield, IL
  • Patricia (Trish) Kaufmann, Lincoln, DE
  • Jeff Shapiro, Fayville, MA

Secretary: Stephen Schumann, Hayward, CA

Treasurer: Bruce Marsden, New Hope, PA

Director-at-Large (4 are elected):

  • Michael Bloom, Portland, OR
  • Rich Drews, Palatine, IL
  • Peter McCann, University Park, FL
  • Mark Schwartz, Philadelphia, PA

American Philatelic Research Library Trustees (2019-2025)
Two to be elected by APS members

  • Greg Galletti, Mount Airy, MD
  • Melanie Rogers, Chicago, IL

Pinkpop 50th Anniversary (Netherland 2019)

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[press release]
Mister Pinkpop personally approves anniversary stamps

The Hague, 19 April 2019 – In about fifty days’ time, the 50th edition of Pinkpop will begin. PostNL will honour the oldest open air pop festival in Europe by issuing the 50 years of Pinkpop stamp sheetlet. The five special anniversary stamps will also be for sale soon at the festival site. [issue date June 7th]

3 days, 60 acts, 60,000 visitors
This year, Pinkpop will take place from 8 to 10 June in Landgraaf in the province of Limburg. During the three-day festival, there will be about sixty acts for the audience to enjoy. We expect to welcome 60,000 enthusiastic visitors each day.

Rich history
The five stamps on the 50 years of Pinkpop issue depict the special anniversary logo of the popular festival. The typography in the white frame was printed in gold to give the anniversary an extra sparkle. The stamp sheetlet also contains a description of the unique event, with photos and promotional material from the rich history of the past fifty years.

To the printing press
The 50 years of Pinkpop stamps were printed on 15 April at Joh. Enschedé Security Print in Haarlem, Netherlands. Mister Pinkpop (Jan Smeets) himself was at the printing press for the final inspection. Smeets, who has been the driving force behind the festival for fifty years, was extremely pleased with the issue. “They’re damn beautiful stamps. That’s great, because we have a fantastic line-up of artists for this anniversary year to attract new generations of music lovers. Some big names are coming who are at the heart of Pinkpop, as well as small acts with innovative performances. We keep our eye on the future.”

Performances
This year, various bands can be enjoyed on the various Pinkpop stages. There will be great international artists such as The Cure, Fleetwood Mac, Lenny Kravitz and Mumfords & Sons. Traditionally, the Dutch music scene is strongly represented at the festival, with Anouk, Armin van Buuren, Golden Earring, Jett Rebel, Krezip and Rowwen Hèze, among others.

Availability
The 50 years of Pinkpop stamp sheetlet features five identical stamps with ‘Nederland 1’, the denomination for items up to 20g in weight destined for mail in the Netherlands. The stamps can be ordered now at www.postnl.nl/pinkpop and www.pinkpopsouvenirs.nl and will be delivered from 7 June onwards. They will also be for sale at the Pinkpop festival site from 8 to 10 June. Alternatively, the stamps can be ordered by telephone from the Collect Club customer service on +31 (0)88 – 868 99 00. The validity period is indefinite.

Vancouver Asahi baseball team (Canada 2019)

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[press release]
Canada Post to unveil stamp celebrating the Vancouver Asahi baseball team

BURNABY, BC, April 18, 2019 /CNW/ – Canada Post invites you to the unveiling of the stamp commemorating the Vancouver Asahi baseball team on Wednesday, April 24. The baseball team, made up of Japanese-Canadians, was formed in 1914 and played until 1941.

WHAT: Unveiling the commemorative stamp celebrating the Vancouver Asahi baseball team that played from 1914 to 1941

WHERE: Nikkei National Museum and Cultural Centre
6688 Southoaks Crescent, Burnaby, B.C.

WHEN: Wednesday, April 24, 6:30 pm

Updated April 25, 2019:

[press release]
Canada Post’s newest stamp honours the Vancouver Asahi
Last survivor of the team that invented “brain ball” helps lift the veil on the stamp

BURNABY, B.C. – Canada Post today released a stamp that honours an amateur Japanese-Canadian baseball team that helped remove racial barriers through sport.

The Vancouver Asahi story is well-known in baseball circles, but the stamp honouring the team is about more than baseball. It also tells a uniquely Canadian story about a dark time in our country’s history – a time of overt racism and fear.

It tells the story of adversity, determination and fortitude – a tragic story that ended in reconciliation and forgiveness.

Formed in 1914, the Asahi thrilled fans and filled Japanese Canadians with hope over almost three decades of play on Vancouver’s east side. The team won many senior league championships before being forced to disband shortly after Canada declared war on Japan in 1941. During the Second World War, Canada interned more than 20,000 people of Japanese descent, most of them Canadian citizens.

“Canada’s forcible confinement of Japanese-Canadians during the Second World War remains one of the most tragic events in Canadian history,” says the Honourable Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Public Services and Procurement and Accessibility, who is responsible for Canada Post. “This stamp reflects the Asahi’s determination to overcome racism and discrimination through the power of sport. Asahi players exhibited integrity, honour and fair play and were shining examples of what it means to be truly Canadian.”

The Asahi developed a unique style of play to compete against bigger, more powerful teams. Dubbed “brain ball,” it involved bunts, base stealing and squeeze plays to score runs – and wins. Their style of play was so successful that, in 1927, the team won a game 3-1 without technically collecting a hit.

The Asahi grew to near mythic proportions within the Japanese-Canadian community; most boys in Vancouver’s “Little Tokyo” dreamed of playing for the team.

Kaye Kaminishi, a third baseman and the last surviving member of the Vancouver Asahi, helped unveil the stamp at the Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre. Ninety-seven today, he was joined by players from the Asahi Baseball Association, which was inspired by the original team.

The Vancouver Asahi stamp displays 11 Asahi players from the 1940 team, including Kaminishi, who appears in the back row, second from left. Designed by Subplot Inc. of Vancouver, the baseball-shaped stamp is available in booklets of 10. There is also an Official First Day Cover cancelled in Vancouver.

[communiqué]
Le plus récent timbre de Postes Canada rend hommage aux Vancouver Asahi
Le dernier membre encore en vie de l’équipe qui a inventé le brain ball dévoile le nouveau timbre.

BURNABY (C.-B.) – Aujourd’hui, Postes Canada a émis un timbre mettant en vedette une équipe de baseball amateur nippo-canadienne qui a contribué à faire tomber les barrières raciales grâce au sport.

L’histoire des Vancouver Asahi est bien connue dans le monde du baseball, mais le timbre n’est pas simplement un hommage à la célèbre équipe.

Évoquant une période sombre de l’histoire du Canada, il traite aussi d’adversité, de détermination et de courage, et il rappelle des moments tragiques qui ont néanmoins fait place à la réconciliation et au pardon.

Formée en 1914, l’équipe des Asahi a ravi les partisans et donné de l’espoir aux Canadiens d’origine japonaise pendant presque trois décennies dans l’est de Vancouver. L’équipe a remporté de nombreux championnats de la ligue senior, puis a été démantelée après que le Canada ait déclaré la guerre au Japon en 1941. Durant la Seconde Guerre mondiale, le pays a interné plus de 20 000 personnes d’ascendance japonaise, la plupart des citoyens canadiens.

« La détention des Canadiens d’origine japonaise pendant la Seconde Guerre mondiale demeure l’un des événements les plus tragiques de l’histoire du Canada », affirme l’honorable Carla Qualtrough, ministre des Services publics et de l’Approvisionnement et de l’Accessibilité, et ministre responsable de Postes Canada. « Ce timbre témoigne de la détermination des Asahi à vaincre le racisme et la discrimination grâce au pouvoir du sport. Les joueurs des Vancouver Asahi ont fait preuve d’intégrité, d’honneur et d’esprit sportif. Ils sont de brillants exemples de ce que c’est que d’être Canadien. »

Les Asahi ont élaboré un style de jeu unique pour se mesurer à des équipes plus puissantes. Qualifiée de brain ball (jeu astucieux), cette stratégie combinait les amortis, les vols de buts et les squeezes pour marquer des points et remporter des victoires. Elle fonctionnait si bien qu’en 1927, l’équipe a gagné un match 3 à 1 sans jamais vraiment frapper la balle.

La popularité de l’équipe a pris une ampleur extraordinaire au sein de la communauté nippo-canadienne, et la plupart des garçons du Petit Tokyo de Vancouver rêvaient de faire partie des Asahi.

Kaye Kaminishi, joueur de troisième but et dernier membre des Vancouver Asahi encore en vie, a participé au dévoilement du timbre au Musée national et centre culturel Nikkei. Aujourd’hui âgé de 97 ans, il était accompagné des joueurs de l’Asahi Baseball Association, une organisation qui s’inspire de l’équipe initiale.

Sur le timbre des Vancouver Asahi, on voit 11 joueurs de l’équipe des Asahi en 1940, dont M. Kaminishi, qui est le deuxième à partir de la gauche, dans la rangée arrière. Conçus par l’entreprise Subplot Design Inc. de Vancouver, les timbres en forme de balle de baseball sont offerts en carnets de 10. Le pli Premier Jour officiel porte la mention « Vancouver BC ».

Added April 25th:

Photos from the unveiling:Ex-Asahi player Kaye Kaminishi  points to himself in the stamp design. Three hundred people attended the ceremony.Kaye Kaminishi, actor George Takei and current members of the Asahi team.

Takei, himself interned by the U.S. during World War II, took time off from a film shoot in the area. He is best known for playing Ensign Sulu on the original “Star Trek” television series. Takei and Kaminishi. Photos courtesy Pinpoint National Photography/Canada Post.

Fusiliers Envelopes (Canada 2019)

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Fusiliers du St-Laurent 150th anniversary
Issue date: April 6, 2019
With the motto J’y suis en garde (“I am on guard”), the Fusiliers du St-Laurent, based in Rimouski, Quebec, have served with distinction in many Canadian operations, at home and abroad, since their founding on April 9, 1869.

Fusiliers Mont-Royal 150th anniversary
Issue date: April 26, 2019
The Fusiliers Mont-Royal call home Montréal’s historic armour y on Pine Avenue. Founded on June 18, 1869, the regiment traces its heritage to earlier local militias. In 1879, it chose the motto, Nunquam Retrorsum (“Never backward”).

Princess Louise Fusiliers 150th anniversary
Issue date: June 7, 2019
Based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, the Princess Louise Fusiliers were officially created on June 18, 1869. Not long after, the regiment was named in honour of Queen Victoria’s fourth daughter, who was Canada’s vice-regal consort at the time.

Historic Covered Bridges (Canada 2019)

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Issue date: June 17, 2019

From Canada Post’s Details magazine:At the end of the 19th century, there were more than 1,400 covered bridges in rural communities across Canada. Today, only an estimated 140 remain.

Opened in 1901 and covered in 1922, New Brunswick’s Hartland Bridge is the longest of its kind in the world, spanning 391 metres. An engineering marvel, it boasts seven heavy-timber Howe trusses supported by six piers.

Also known as the Percy Bridge, Quebec’s Powerscourt Bridge, built in 1861, is one of Canada’s oldest covered bridges and the only known example of the McCallum inflexible arched-truss design that is still in existence.

The Félix-Gabriel-Marchand Bridge, extending 152 metres from end to end, is Quebec’s longest covered bridge and one of its oldest. Built in 1898, it is unique in the province for its combination of Queen Post and Town lattice trusses.

Ontario’s last remaining historic covered bridge, the 60-metre West Montrose Bridge – opened in 1881 over the Grand River – features Howe trusses and louvered window openings.

The Ashnola No. 1 railroad bridge measuring 135 metres across British Columbia’s Similkameen River, was completed in 1907 and rebuilt in 1926 with its Howe trusses sheathed in wood panelling and cross-bracing exposed overhead. It was converted for automobile use in 1961.
Canada Post’s press release on the day the stamps were released:
[press release]
Quaint but no longer common, covered bridges still dot our countryside – and five historic ones now adorn stamps

OTTAWA, June 17, 2019 /CNW/ – Built in a bygone era as vital transportation links spanning rivers, covered bridges are now also portals that invite the imagination back to the age of steam locomotives and horse-drawn buggies.

Canada Post today issued five stamps that depict five historic covered bridges across the country. The issue pays tribute to their engineering and design and their role in transportation, but it also recognizes them as important symbols of community life in rural Canada.

At the end of the 19th century, the country had more than 1,400 covered bridges; today, an estimated 140 or so remain. Of the more than 400 covered bridges that once existed in New Brunswick, about 60 still stand – including the longest in the world. Quebec once boasted more than 1,000 but now has about 80. Ontario has only one historic covered bridge, as does British Columbia. Bridges were covered to protect their load-bearing structure from the elements and extend their useful life. These bridges are featured on the stamps:

  • Hartland Covered Bridge (New Brunswick)
    With a 391-metre span, this bridge across the Saint John River is the longest covered bridge in the world. It was an engineering wonder when it was built at the turn of the 20th century. The original bridge was open; the cover was added in 1922.
  • Powerscourt (Percy) Bridge (Quebec)
    This bridge across the Châteauguay River was built in 1861 and is considered Canada’s oldest covered bridge. With a span of 50 metres, it was built with strong and rigid McCallum inflexible arched trusses. It is the only known bridge left in the world of that McCallum design.
  • Félix-Gabriel-Marchand Bridge (Quebec)
    Known locally as the Marchand Bridge or simply the Red Bridge, this is the longest covered bridge in Quebec, at 152 metres. It crosses the Coulonge River near the village of Fort-Coulonge. Built in 1898, it is one of the oldest surviving covered bridges in Quebec.
  • West Montrose Covered Bridge (Ontario)
    This is Ontario’s last remaining historic covered bridge. It crosses the Grand River in the Waterloo region. It opened in 1881. Often referred to as “the kissing bridge,” the 60-metre bridge is true to its original design, but the concrete and steel parts added later increased its lifespan. Scenes in the 2017 horror movie It, based on a Stephen King novel, were filmed around the bridge.
  • Ashnola No. 1 Bridge (British Columbia)
    Built as a railway bridge over the Similkameen River in 1907, it was first used during the region’s gold mining era. Known locally as the Red Bridge, the 135-metre bridge had its railway tracks removed in 1954 and was opened to vehicles in 1961. It is British Columbia’s only remaining historic covered bridge.

The Official First Day Cover souvenir sheet is cancelled in Hartland, New Brunswick.

 

Endangered Turtles (Canada 2019)

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Issue date: May 23, 2019

From Canada Post’s Details magazine:With spring in full swing – and camping, canoeing and cottage life just around the corner – you might soon encounter one of Canada’s eight freshwater turtle species. These stamps showcase two species that have been assessed as endangered by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC).

In Canada, Blanding’s turtles (Emydoidea blandingii) live in the centre of southwestern Nova Scotia and around the Great Lakes – St. Lawrence region of Ontario and Quebec. Able to survive and reproduce well into their 80s, Blanding’s turtles are among the longest lived of their freshwater kin. However, encroaching development of their freshwater habitat, which includes ponds, marshes and the shorelines of shallow lakes and streams, puts their existence at significant risk.

“I hope this stamp issue inspires people to find out what they can do to help these species flourish and to preserve their habitat.”
—Adrian Horvath, stamp designer

Canadian populations of the spotted turtle (Clemmys guttata) are now found only in isolated pockets around central and southern Ontario. Once much more common, the province’s smallest turtle, which carries a shell that’s less than 13 centimetres long, is a victim of habitat loss and collection for the illegal pet trade. The tiny, hardy reptile survives the long, cold winters by hibernating, singly or communally, in the mud at the bottom of ice-covered wetlands or in underwater burrows.

Creatively presented by designer Adrian Horvath and illustrator Sarah Still, the images on these stamps blend beauty and accuracy – qualities that Still argues go hand in hand. “I’ve always enjoyed realism and highly detailed work. I believe nature already provides us with beautiful subjects. It’s my pleasure to help others see them as I do,” she says.

“I wanted these turtles to pop off the stamp,” says Horvath. The real challenge, he added, was finding a way to break the subjects out of the stamp frame in a way that worked in every application – as 10 stamps in a booklet, as a single stamp on a letter, and as a bound (se-tenant) duo on the Official First Day Cover and souvenir sheet.

According to COSEWIC, habitat loss, road mortality and illegal collection are among the biggest threats to the two species featured on these stamps. Since turtles are exceptionally long-living creatures that breed as slowly as they move, the loss of even a single adult is devastating.

“I want people to be in awe of these beautiful creatures – and to enjoy the playfulness of the stamps,” says Horvath. “I hope this stamp issue inspires people to find out what they can to help these species flourish and to preserve their habitat.”

Updated May 23rd:

[press release]
New Stamps Call Attention to Plight of Endangered Turtles
Blanding’s and spotted turtles come out of their shells for latest issue

OTTAWA, May 23, 2019 – Canada Post today released stamps featuring two species of endangered turtles.

The Blanding’s turtle is found in central-southwest Nova Scotia and in the Great Lakes/St. Lawrence region of southern Ontario and southwestern Quebec. Although the spotted turtle now inhabits only isolated pockets of central and southern Ontario, it was likely once distributed more widely. Like all eight of Canada’s freshwater turtle species, these species play a vital role in the wetland ecosystems they inhabit as predators of insects and other invertebrates and as scavengers that consume dead plants and animals. These turtles have been assessed as endangered by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC).

Did you know?

  • The Blanding’s turtle (Emydoidea blandingii) has a mouth that curves slightly upward, making it appear as if it is always smiling.
  • Blanding’s turtles hibernate from fall until early spring, partially burying themselves in the mud or sand at the bottom of shallow bodies of water that become ice covered.
  • They are one of the longest-lived freshwater turtles, able to survive and reproduce well into their 80s.
  • The spotted turtle (Clemmys guttata) is one of Ontario’s smallest turtle species, with a shell less than 13 cm in length.
  • Spotted turtles are the first of Ontario’s turtle species to emerge from hibernation in early spring, thanks to their tolerance for cold.
  • Slow to mature, they may be capable of living for more than 100 years.

Blanding’s and spotted turtles both reproduce slowly, so every individual lost has a severe impact on the overall population. For this reason, the mortality of turtles on roadways poses a significant threat to both species. Other threats include habitat loss and fragmentation, invasive plants affecting their habitats, and illegal collection. Thanks to conservation efforts, however, there is still hope for their recovery.

These stunning stamps, designed by Adrian Horvath and illustrated by Sarah Still, are available in booklets of 10. The Official First Day Cover is cancelled in Maitland Bridge, Nova Scotia, near the province’s Blanding’s turtle population.

Sweet Canada (Desserts) (Canada 2019)

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Issue date: April 17, 2019

From Canada Post’s Details magazine:
Our country’s traditional desserts offer more than just a scrumptious way to end a meal – their origins are a tasty part of our history. These stamps give you a chance to discover the sweet stories behind some of our favourite treats.

Working with designer s Roy White and Liz Wurzinger of Vancouver’s Subplot Design Inc., illustrator Mary Ellen Johnson began her assignment in the kitchen, baking the five delectable desserts chosen for the stamps, photographing them, and then creating oil paintings of each. Subplot reinforced the culinary concept with a recipe card-inspired design that shows a truly satisfying slice of creativity.

The Nanaimo bar (1), a no-bake dessert bar, is named after the city of Nanaimo, on Vancouver Island in British Columbia. A crumb crust of chocolatey coconut is topped with rich, creamy custard and covered with a layer of melted chocolate.

An original Canadian recipe, Saskatoon berry pie (2) is a local delight, with the berries, tasting like a mix of almonds and apples, wrapped in flaky pastry. A staple for Indigenous peoples and early settlers, the berries are high in fibre, protein and antioxidants. Their name is derived from the Cree word misâskwatômina, which also inspired the name of the city of Saskatoon, meaning “at the Saskatoon berry.”

The earliest published Canadian recipe of butter tarts (3) dates back to 1900. An integral part of eastern Canadian cuisine, this sugary treat has inspired tours and tasting festivals. Ontario’s Best Butter Tart Festival and Contest, held annually in Midland, attracts bakers from across the province and is the largest celebration of its kind in Canada.

A staple of Quebec patisseries, sugar pie (4) (tarte au sucre) traces its origins to France. Colonists brought the recipe for the pie along with them – but since brown sugar was a rare commodity in New France, early French-Canadian versions used maple syrup as a sweetener.

Believed to be an early adaptation of an English steamed pudding, blueberry grunt (5) gets the name from the sound it makes as the blueberries bubble and steam under a dumpling topping. The popular dessert has been enjoyed by generations of Maritimers, who came up with this delicious way to use a bumper crop of local blueberries.