National Postage Stamp and Coin Show in Mississauga this weekend

By Jesse Robitaille

The National Postage Stamp and Coin Show will open its doors to the public tomorrow in Mississauga.

Running Sept. 8-9 at its usual location – the popular Hilton Mississauga – it will be our sixth show since we acquired the rights from the Canadian Stamp Dealers’ Association in late 2015. Since May 2016, we’ve put on two shows a year with a buzzing response from attendees, dealers and the general public alike. We’d like to thank you all for the warm response and continued support.

I recall a conversation I had prior to our inaugural event with John Wilson, then president of the North Toronto Stamp Club (NTSC), which hosts its annual exhibition at each of our spring shows.

“Both of these fields – and I’ve done a bit of coin collecting, too – are history in your hands,” said Wilson, who added both hobbies – philately and numismatics – can be “intensely interesting” to the general public, too.

“Everybody who enjoys history – anyone who enjoys looking a little more carefully at the world around them – will find it very interesting.”

Show organizer Mike Walsh (left) stands with New York Times journalist James Barron, one of the keynote presenters at this spring’s show.

SHOW MEMORIES

Aside from the yearly exhibition, our biannual show has produced a number of memorable highlights, including seminars from Canada Post officials, stamp designers and a New York Times journalist.

For last year’s spring show, Canada Post Director of Stamp Services Jim Phillips gave attendees a “sneak peek” at the 2017 stamp program while shining a light on the 12-person Stamp Advisory Committee.

Our fall 2017 show saw Canada Post design manager Liz Wong and award-winning artist Lionel Gadoury highlight the Crown corporation’s three-year Haunted Canada series.

This spring, we had journalist James Barron – author of The One-Cent Magenta: Inside the Quest to Own the Most Valuable Stamp in the World – share the historic journey of the world’s most valuable stamp during a keynote presentation.

Also this spring, we invited Kitchener-based auction house Colonial Acres to be the show’s official auctioneer; they’ve been a welcome addition and will return this fall with a three-session sale of both stamp and coin material.

‘YOUNG COLLECTORS’

Nirav Patel, 9, has attended the past two shows with his parents.

We’ll also be hosting a “Young Collectors” auction organized by well-known numismatist Lisa McPherson. The Sept. 9 auction, which is free for children, will feature at least 25 lots of coin and stamp material thanks to donations from show organizers, dealers and participating hobby associations.

There will also be a “Young Collectors” table with discounted material available to children.

“The show was great,” said Bhavesh Patel, who’s attended the past two events with his nine-year-old son Nirav. “Letting kids come in free is great as well.”

Patel said the children’s table organized by McPherson was “exactly what Nirav was looking for, and it was given at face value, which was amazing for him.”

The National Postage Stamp and Coin Show will be open Saturday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Admission is only $3 on Saturday and free on Sunday, and parking is always free on site.

For more information about this year’s show, visit stampandcoinshow.com.

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