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

October! Finally! I have been waiting for this all summer ! October is Stamp Collecting Month, and this brings on a reawakening of long-dormant interests. October kicks off with the monthly Stamp Fair in Moncton on Saturday, October 4. Paul Bourque and Bob Evans have cultivated this monthly Stamp Fair into a much anticipated event in the philatelic community. Joined by a few other dealers this has become the place to be on the first Saturday monthly. It is held at the Park House Inn on Main Street in Moncton.

October for a stamp collector in the Moncton area also sees the clubs annual showcase -- BRUNPEX. The 2003 edition, the fourth annual event, will be held on Saturday, October 18, at the Howard Johnson Plaza Hotel, on the corner of Main and Highfield Streets in Moncton. Brunpex runs from 10 to 4, and has free admission. In keeping with tradition, another new cachet cover has been produced, and will be available for sale, along with a few remaining copies of previous show cachets.

We are also blessed with a welcome variety of other stamp shows. These include the monthly Stamp Fairs held the second Saturday of the month at the Burnside Hotel in the Dartmouth Burnside Industrial Park. There are also other major philatelic shows, including the Truro fall expo, Spudpex 2003 in Houlton, Maine, the St. John's Philatelic Society fall show, and the South Shore Stamp club fair in Bridgewater. The spring season will see another two or three large shows, and in 2004 will culminate in the Royale 2004, the annual show of the Royal Philatelic Society. In 2004 this prestigious event will be held in Halifax in May.

In the club inventory, located on page 6 of this newsletter, I list a total of eight stamp clubs other than the Fundy Stamp Collectors Club. Collectors of all ages and walks of life are strongly encouraged to attend a club in your local area. Several other clubs publish a newsletter, and they are encouraged to share copies with their sister clubs. I know that members of our club enjoy reading of the activities in other Atlantic area clubs.

October of course, as I mentioned, is Stamp Collecting Month, and thus is an excellent time to delve into the mysteries of philately. Whatever your pleasure or area of interest, philately offers something for everyone. Old countries, new countries, renamed countries, mint stamps, used stamps, old stamps, new issues, covers, souvenir sheets, topicals -- philately has it all. Explore and find some new interests.

Look for future issues of The Fundy
Stamp News in January and April 2004.
Don Mills, editor (506) 384-5107
E-mail: donmillscanada@yahoo.com

Everyone knows that the first adhesive stamp in the world was the Penny Black introduced on May 6, 1840. However, the history of postage did not start then.

Ancient China and Persia each had their own postal service. The word "post" is derived from the Latin "positus", which were place names where postal messengers were stationed. In Edward I's reign (1272-1307), kings' messengers were used in England to deliver "mail" (from the French "malle") from place to place.

Henry VIII (1509-1547) had a manager for his postal service. The appointment was the Master of the King's Posts, and Sir Brian Tuke was the first holder of the title. The Post Office Act was passed in 1661.

Colonel Harvey Bishop held the position next for the now renamed Postmaster General. Bishop brought in a handstamp showing the day and month of posting. These stamps were called Bishop Marks. For the first time, mail showed the date of posting.

Twenty years later, a more efficient delivery service was put into operation in the Westminster and City of London area. For one penny, letters would be delivered on the day posted. This postal service was called Dockwra Post.

Eventually, as the volume of mail increased, long distance delivery was handled by stage coach and mail coach, eventually giving way to the transporting of all royal mail by railways.

Rowland Hill, a Headmaster, changed the whole structure of the Post Office and postal collection. In 1837 he published a pamphlet about post-office reform. His idea was for the pre-payment of postage. This was not a very popular idea with the General Post Office in the Board of Customs and Excise at Somerset House. Parliament, however, disagreed, and in 1839 the Uniform Penny Post- age Act was passed.

When the Penny Black and the Twopence Blue were issued, the public was dubious about licking the "cement" and was not familiar with removing small stamps from sheets. The Post Office issued publicity posters explaining how to affix the postage stamps. The Public took to the idea. In 1840 almost 170 million pieces of post were delivered.

The Penny Black was made up into sheets of 240 (240 pennies to the pound) in rows of twelve. Henry Corborell designed them. The first collection of Penny Blacks belonged to Edward Stanley Gibbons, whose company now leads the fields in stamp catalogues. The first stamp catalog was printed in Paris in 1861.

In 1841 the United States started using postal stamps. Brazil began using them in 1843, and Austria, Spain, France, and Belgium adopted the idea in 1850. ***

Lets start with the obvious:
"How to avoid common mistakes as a beginner". Have you already started a stamp collection? Or are you just thinking about it? In either case, chances are you have plenty of questions about stamps and stamp collecting, and are trying to find out more. There are lots of books and publications on stamps, but they take time to read. In the meantime, we've compiled a few hints to help you avoid the most common, frustrating, and sometimes-costly errors many beginning philatelists make.

To remove stamps from paper, the clippings will have to be soaked. Put aside stamps on colored envelopes, or with heavily inked cancels. The color or ink may run, and these items should thus be soaked separately. Use lukewarm water. Allow the stamps to float free of the backing paper. Afterwards, a second "rinse" bath will help eliminate final traces of gum. Soak only a few stamps at a time. When the water becomes discolored, discard it and use fresh.

After soaking, stamps should be dried facedown on absorbent paper, such as paper towels. As the stamps dry, they may curl. A large book makes a good weight. A covering sheet of absorbent paper should be used to cover the drying stamps, and the book placed on top of them. Stamps should be pressed in this manner for at least a few hours, or even days, if necessary. Then the stamps can be stored away, or mounted in an album.

Next month: "Using hinges and mounts".

An update on plans for Brunpex 2003 was given by chairman Rod Allison, and the Newsletter (issue 7) was distributed. A finan cial report indicates a healthy club balance, with 19 paid members.

The business meeting was followed by a presentation on Papua and New Guinea by Dave Tait, with assistance from Harvey Terris.

Thr first fall meeting was held on September 4, 2003, with fifteen members in attendance. As the YMCA will no longer be avail able to accomodate our meetings, an offer to use the Church of the Latter Day Saints, 2070 Mountain Road, was accepted.

Discussion followed on monthly programming until Christmas. October will see a round-table discussion of personal collections and interests; November on British issues; and December will be the Christmas Islands by Harvey Terris. The business meeting was followed by a very nice slide presentation on the Canadian War Tax issues.

Next club meetings are October 2, No- vember 6, and December 4.