Fundy Stamp Collectors Club P. O. Box 302 Moncton N.B. E1C 8L4 Since 1997

The winter and spring collecting season has been a very busy one. The Fundy Stamp Collectors Club met monthly, with a nice variety of presentations, and the odd slide show thrown in. Club members talking about their personal collections, or a personal area of interest, have added much to the monthly meetings.

The local Stamp Fairs, held monthly at the Park House Inn in Moncton, were also very active. Two new dealers joined Paul and Bob, the founders of the Stamp Fair, and the average attendance was 30 to 40 regular custom- ers. This kept the Stamp Fair quite a busy hive of activity. These Fairs are held on the first Saturday, monthly, from October to May.

Of course Stamp Shows were also quite active in several neighboring Atlantic communities -- notably St. John's, NF and Bridgewater, NS in April, and Halifax, NS and Saint John, NB in May. t hope that all four were well attended, and successful. In most cases, these shows are the highlight of the philatelic season.

This is certainly the case with our local show in Moncton - Brunpex. The organizing committee has been formed, and is starting preparations for our annual show. BRUIVPEX 2003 is scheduled for Saturday, October 18, 2003 at the Howard Johnson Plaza Hotel (formerly the Brunswick Hotel) in downtown Moncton. Watch for future advertisements.

Alas, the month of June is upon us and with the advent of warm weather (I hope) it will soon be time to retire the stamp collection to the bookshelves for what should be a well deserved rest. Autumn will arrive, customarily, far too soon, bringing with it the urge to dust off the collection once again.

Until that time, enjoy your summer, and take care that your collection is properly stored away from excess humidity.
Until the fall. Don Mills, editor (506) 384-5107

Norfolk Island is an Australian dependance, with an area of 13 square miles, located in the Pacific Ocean east of New South Wales and 900 miles east of Australia. The island was discovered by Captain Cook in 1774 and from 1788 to 1813 was used in conjunction with New South Wales as a penal colony. It was left unoccupied for the next 12 years and was reoccupied in 1825 as a punishment station for those convicted of crimes in New South Wales. In 1855 the penal settlement was abolished and in the following year, the descendants of the Bounty mutineers were transferred from Pitcaim Island to Norfolk Island. Many of these settlers later returned to Pitcairn Island. In 1913, the island became a territory under the authority of the Commonwealth of Australia.

The population in 1982 was estimated at 1800. On June 8, 1856 the Pitcairners landed on Norfolk Island. Every year since that date, the descendants have commemorated the safe arrival in traditional fashion. The 8th of June each year is set aside as a public holiday. At the beginning of the day's activities, they have a re-enactment of the original landing. A pro- cession walks from the pier to the cenotaph and the graveyard for laying of wreaths and singing of hymns. They then proceed to Government House for judging of the most original dressed family. Grace is said and the Anniver- sary Day Picnic starts. During the picnic, there is also an annual cricket match between the Bounty team and the Allcomers team. To cap things off there is the annual Bounty Ball.

The first instance of a forged stamp occurred in 1840 when an attempt was made to counterfeit British Penny Blacks using a wood engraving. Stamps have also been forged by Postal Administrations for various reasons. In 1856 the British Post Office commissioned an engraver for a stamp issue. The issue was destroyed, and the engraving had to be redone for the same issue a few years later.

Stamps of the Norfolk Island Ball Bay design were prepared and printed in 1940, but never released officially. The issue had been put on hold by the government, and the stamps were held at the Commonwealth Note and Stamp Printing Branch in Melbourne, Australia until 1947 when authority was given for their destruction. At this time, the stamps were reprinted, and issued.

However, the old stock was not destroyed entirely, as a quantity was stolen from the Note and Stamp Printing Branch. In 1951, Mrs. Clara Brown received 9 mint stamps: 1.5p, 2p, 2.5p, 4p, 5.5p, 6p, 9p, 1 sh, and 2sh - all rolled up tightly in a pen. To look at them, they are a little darker in color than their 1947 issues. Their perforations are the same. Their designs are the same. Yet they came all rolled up. Why ? Were they the illegal 1940 issue of stamps sent out under wraps to a select number of collectors throughout the world, or was it just an idea to raise some interest in this stamp issue. Norfolk Island had been a penal colony and perhaps they were sent to curry some interest. ***

Stamp catalogs are a very important part of Stamp Collecting.

Here is a good article on the subject:

The Importance of Stamp Catalogs

If you were going to Washington, DC, to tour the city, you would need a guidebook. Without one, you might wander aimlessly throughout the city, from one unidentified building to another, possibly missing the Capitol or the White House or the Washington Monument. You would probably be unaware of the many other attractions available.

Your guidebook for philately is the stamp catalog. Without it, your trip would be less in- formative and less enjoyable. The catalog is your illustrated map, directing you to many stamp attractions and depicting where you are, what you have accomplished, and where you want to be heading.

Since 1867, when John Walter Scott published the modern catalog (a stamp list with prices), a number has been assigned to every stamp issued by every country of the world. Scott publishes U.S. Specialized catalogs and their numbers are used in most other catalogs and price lists in the United States. Scott publishes six volumes of catalogs covering the entire world in addition to its U.S. Specialized Catalog.

But, how do we locate that information for a specific stamp? First, of course, we must identify the country. That done, we should determine the year, or at least the general time period, when the stamp was issued.

For U.S. issues, featuring a person, we can easily determine the time period; armed with the date of death for that person and the knowledge that no U.S. stamp has ever honored a living person. The denomination also can be helpful, since postage rates are generally grouped in a certain sequence. We can quickly thumb through the catalog searching for a grouping of stamps with the same denomination, and begin there.

Finally, scan the stamp reproductions in the catalog for one that matches the stamp we are trying to identify. Be certain to compare all elements -- denomination, color, perforations, variations -- to be sure you have found the correct listing.

The catalog prices that are listed, even in a current publication, should be considered asonly a rough guide. They represent what you might approximately pay for a stamp, and the price for which you could sell it. The condition of any stamp has a great influence on its price relative to the catalog listing. Catalog prices for mint stamps are for those in fine condition and only lightly hinged. A stamp considered superb might sell for several times the catalog value. And naturally, stamps in less than fine condition will sell for a small percentage of the listed price.

The best way to become familiar with stamp catalogs is through use. Try using a catalog from your local library. Read the beginning of the catalog and you will find that it is filled with information about the catalog format and about stamp collecting. Then take the catalog and some stamps from your collection and attempt to locate the listing for each.

Remember that catalogs are much more than just price lists. They are guidebooks containing information about stamp attractions to make your continuing tour of philately more enjoyable.

I recommend The Postal Service Guide to U.S. Stamps to beginners in U.S. It's packed with information for stamp collecting; colored illustrations for all U.S. stamps, post cards, and stamped envelopes; price guide for U.S. stamps, FDCs, plate number block, stamped envelopes, post cards, and the philately products that USPS offers. It only cost $17.95 for 2001 issue and 14.95 (I think) for 1997-2000 issue, those I know of.

The Club held regular meetings on March 6, April 3, and May 1, with the season finale scheduled for June 5.

Presentations included a talk on Tagging by Ron Messenger and Eric Tobin (April), a presentation on stamps of the Isle of Man by Don Mills (May), and the feature for June is the stamps of Papua and New Guinea, by Dave Tait.

Attendance has averaged 14 members, which included two new members. There are 17 in the club.

The Club remains in a healthy financial position.

A highlite of the past year has been the involvement of several club members with a junior stamp club at Claude D. Taylor School in Riverview, which has 25 members from 8 to 12 years in age, and meet weekly at noon hour.

BRUNPEX 2003 chairman is Rod Allison, who is gathering a committee to help organize the annual fall show and sale -- set for October 18, 2003.