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

After much consideration, I chose to present as my first choice of classic philatelic books The Postal History of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick 1754 - 1867 written by Nicholas Argenti and published by the Royal Philatelic Society in 1962. Although the original publication is difficult to find, the Quarterman Publication edition reproduction is readily available. This volume of 233 pages is well illustrated and contains 24 plates.

This magnificent volume is undoubtedly to this day one of the most complete studies of the postage stamps of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Nicholas Argenti studied and collected stamps from both provinces. Because of his high research standards, he traveled extensively to view collections and document the references of this book.

This book is by no means an easy read since it presents an inordinate amount of information on the issues of the first adhesive stamps of both provinces. The material covered in the first part of this book includes official Perkin Bacon records, postmarks, first issues, forgeries, post office regulations and postal rates for the pence issues of 1851 for both provinces. The second part of the book focuses on the cents issues of 1860. Again for both provinces, the chapters cover the American Bank Note Company records, quantities and dates of issue, die and plate proofs, forgeries, regulations, postal rates and covers. I particularly enjoyed chapter 20 which details the Five Cents Connell episode or blunder.

For the serious collector of NB and NS postage stamps, this book is very informative and should be consulted.

The prestigious NOVAPEX show held in Dartmouth on September 15-17 was blessed with great weather, and awesome displays. A group of members from Moncton made the trek, and all found it extremely worthwhile.

The second highlite of the early season will be BRUNPEX 2006, sponsored by our own Fundy Stamp Collectors Club. It will be held on October 14, 2006 from 10:00am to 4:00pm, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel (formerly Howard Johnson's). Parking and admission are free, and hopefully we will see many past, current, and future friends in attendance.

The return of a fall show hosted by the Saint John Stamp Club is also a welcome addition to the local show and bourse scene. It will be held this year on November 18 at the Coastal Inn / Fort Howe Hotel. The South Shore Stamp Club's annual Fall Fair will be held again on October 28, at the Wandlyn Inn in Bridgewater, NS.

On top of these major shows are the return of the monthly Stamp Fairs, held in Moncton, at the Park House Inn on the first Saturday, starting in October; and in Dartmouth, at the Burnside Hotel on the second Saturday, also starting in October.

The Fundy Stamp Collectors Club opened the fall season with its September meeting, and 12 members in attendance. Of special interest is the purchase by the club at auction of two lots of British Oceania stamps, which will be broken down for purchase by club members at the October meeting. The meeting concluded with individual one-page presentations on the letter "C". These were very interesting and entertaining, and seem a good method to get more members involved. The Fundy Stamp Collectors Club meets the first Thursday night monthly, at the CN Pensioners Club on Curry Street.

The new web page is really worth checking out! More and more items and articles will be added to it over time. You can find it at www.fundystampclub.ca. Webmaster Reid Eisenhauer has dedicated a great deal of work to this project. All previous copies of the Newsletter have been added, and the information continues to grow.

Look for the next issue of The Fundy Stamp News in January 2007.

Don Mills, editor
e-mail: donmillscanada@yahoo.com

The International Society of Worldwide Stamp Collectors serves the interests of all worldwide collectors. It strives to promote the fun and fascination of worldwide stamp collecting to young and old alike, and has an active outreach program serving youth, their leaders and beginners of all ages.

Until next time "Happy Surfing".