Bee's Stamps Perfin Collection

I have to share the following anecdote about a recent acquisition. I spotted a collection of 1989 Architectural High value stamps on ebay. But there was something strange about this collection, they were almost all Perfins. I had never seen a Perfin on a modern stamp before, and I didn't recognize the design (I am not a collector of Perfins), so I dug a bit further and eventually found out that the Perfin design belonged to a company called Bee's Stamps from Regina, SK, issued in 1989, about 50 years after the last previous Perfin authorization by Canada Post !?!? This peaked my interested, so I had to dig deeper, and eventually came across an article in a periodical called the BNA Perforator, published by the BNA Philatelic Society - Canadian Perfins Study Group. The article included a letter from Blaine Martinac, the originator of the Bees Stamps Perfin, which explained everything !! It is a fascinating story so here is a link to the publication.

https://bnaps.org/studygroups/Perfi...n01-w105.pdf

That was a neat read. I can picture some meeting at Canada Post HQ where no one actually knew the rules, much less had even heard of a Perfin before. Some poor sap was probably tasked with headed down in the forgotten archives and came back nearly two years later,, covered in dust and nearly skeletal, holding policy manual 17.8b which had a long lost section on Perfins haha. "Aha, found it!"

Hi bobr345,

Thank you for your post concerning the 'IB' perfin. I collect Canadian perfin stamps, and although you do not yet have enough posts to sell or trade on this forum, if you ever plan to sell any of your perfins (eBay, etc..) then please let me know as I would be very interested.

- stamporator -

Hi Stamporator,

I didn't realize that this forum can be used to buy and sell stamps ! I have now read the rules, and followed most of it ?!? I guess the next step is for me to build up enough posts, but 50 shouldn't be too difficult if I am motivated. I don't currently sell stamps on any other platform.

I know very little about Perfins, and have no references to help with valuation except for the 2 pages in the Unitrade catalogue for OHMS officials. Perhaps, it is a branch of philately that I should explore further, because I have a number of Perfins buried in my stock books.

I would be happy to sell you some, especially if it helps build some recognition for the Bees Perfin. I have no idea how to value them, and I paid 3 Euros for the lot, so as long as you clear that bar, I will feel whole. But I will ask you for more advice about the topic so I can learn something in the process.

How many would you like ? Are there any from the lot you would be more interested in ?

Hi bobr345,

Thanks for your quick reply.

I do not want to put my email address in the general forum, but if you select my name (which is hyperlinked to my profile) you can get access to my "homepage" website which has my email address.

Let me know if you have any problems.

- stamporator -

Hi Stamporator,

I sent an email to your homepage address.