Celebrate the golden anniversary of stamp shows

By Cecilia Nasmith

Golden anniversaries are always something to celebrate and, on Sept. 28, the Cobourg Stamp Club celebrates the 50th anniversary of its annual stamp show as Copex 2019 welcomes everyone in for a look at the wonderful world of philately.

That's stamp collecting to you and me – and a passion for its adherents.

The Cobourg Stamp Club will celebrate another milestone anniversary next year as well, since it began in 1960 with stamp collectors meeting at the Market Building. They held their first show in 1966 – though club president Malcolm Pacey noted that the show wasn't repeated and made into an annual event until 1969.

Its first shows were held at St. Peter's Anglican Church and later moved to CDCI East, Pacey said, but they've had a home at the Salvation Army Citadel since the 1990s.

The Town of Cobourg has played a role in this landmark 50th show, which will welcome Mayor John Henderson and Town Crier Mandy Robinson to kick things off.

“We are also featuring a special envelope produced with a special stamp to commemorate our 50th anniversary,” club member Michael Hunt said.

“At the same time, the town has also issued an envelope with a special stamp and cancellation for the Town of Cobourg, commemorating James Cockburn, Cobourg's Father of Confederation.

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“Both of these special envelopes are very limited-edition and only available at the show.”

The show will also feature a large display of stamps to be judged by the public, a club auction, members' consignment sales and eight visiting dealers with a wide variety of world-wide stamps for sale, as well as a food court and door prizes.

“We will provide a stamp evaluation service upon request,” Hunt added, saying anyone interested should contact him at 289-251-4544.

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The members' own displays that they have created are also worth seeing, with a wide variety of topics – everything from Stamps Honouring the UN to Disney As Represented On Stamps.

These shows pull in people from a large geographic area, as devoted stamp collectors are apt to attend as many shows as they can get to.

Similarly, these devotees are apt to be members of more than one stamp club. Accordingly, the Cobourg Stamp Club can boast membership from Oshawa, Newtonville, Lindsay, Warkworth, Belleville, Trenton, Brighton, Grafton, Millbrook and Peterborough, as well as the Cobourg and Port Hope regulars.

Many of these philatelists have decades of membership behind them, though new members are always gladly welcomed as kindred spirits. It's an educational pursuit for young people and, as the area's immigrant population grows, it could prove to be a way for them to honour their roots (while also learning more about the history of their new homeland).

For a $10 annual membership, you have access to accumulated decades of expertise and access to the club's library of stamp catalogues – not to mention the fellowship you will enjoy on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month, September through June.

Paying a visit to Copex 2019 on Sept. 28 is one way to learn more about this amazing group, as well as to introduce yourself to a new potential pastime.