PSSC Achievement Awards & Award Recipients

The Socitey has four different types of awards that can be given:

  • PSSC Specialization Medal
  • Sutherland-McKanna Award
  • Herbert Dubé Lectureship Award
  • PSSC Lapel Pin

If anyone can provide any of the missing information below, please contact us.

PSSC Specialization Medal

This is the current version of the PSSC Specialization Medal

This is awarded at national level Canadian Philatelic Exhibitions for exhibits that show evidence of significant research relating to a subject. No more than one award per show will be given. Recipients who are not members will be invited to join the Society.

Year Winner For Comments
1956 William H.P. Maresch    
  Lou Crosby    
  Edwin Mueller ... ...
1957 J. Watson Yuile ... ...
1958 D.A. Young ... ...
  Dr. James J. Matejka Jr ... ...
1959 A. Banfield ... ...
  S.C. Jersey    
1962 Anthony Ruta ... ...
  D.D.S. Haverbeck ... ...
1963 M.A. Boianowicz    
1967 Horace W. Harrison    
1975 Dr. Fred Stulberg    
1976 Prof. H.E. Duckworth    
  Dr. H.W. Duckworth    
1977 Sidney Shelton    
1978 J. Fosberry    
1981 William L. Percy    
1993 R.F. Narbonne    
2000 Harry Machum Canada’s Wilding Issue Orapex 2000
  Brian Murphy Transatlantic Mails in the Victorian Era Edmonton
2002 Susan Sheffield Post Offices of Muskoka Resort Hotels Royal 2002
2003 Timothy Bartshe Orange Free State Republican Postal Issues 1868-1900 Royal 2003
2004 Ian McTaggart-Cowan    
  Dr. Sandy Clark   Royal 2004
2005 Robert Anderson Brant County Postmarks & Cancellations to 1950 Orapex 2005
  Richard M. Morris Canada: The Admiral Issue Stampex 2005
  Kimber Wald The Historical Confederation Issue Royal 2005
2006 Hugh Rathbun The Postal History of Annapolis from George II to Victoria

Novapex 2006

2007 Steve Johnson    
  Jean-Jacques Tillard    
2008 Steven A. Friedenthal    
  James R. Taylor    
2009 Gary Steele    
  Les Molnar    
2010 Dr. Ijaz Qureshi    
  Dr. David E. Crotty    
  Loïc Detcheverry    
2011 Cecil Coutts Blackout Postal Markings of Canada  
  Les Molnar Victoria: The Private Contract Period, 1850-59  
2012 Fred Smallbone George V Downey Heads Orapex 2012
  Donald Wilson Australian Mail to the UK to 1891 Royal 2012, Edmonton
  Barry Senior Perforated initials and insignia on the stamps of Newfoundland Novapex 2012
2013 Ian Wright Great Britain One Penny Red 1854- 1856, A Study of Plates in Transition Edmonton Spring National Show 2013
Christine Foucher & Jacques Poitras Postal Usages in the Province of Quebec and Lower Canada until 1831 Orapex 2013
2014 Michele Cartier Postmarks of Hamburg (Germany) 1673-1867 Orapex 2014
Mary Pugh Great Britain George V Commemorative Issue Royal 2014
2015 Norma Nielson The Story of Lloyd’s: From Coffee to Commerce Edmonton 2015
  Graham Locke   Royal 2015
  Steven Mulvey Study on the Evolution of Swiftair - Royal Mail’s International Priority Airmail Service to Canada Orapex 2015
2016 Hal Kellett Territory of Saskatchewan Edmonton 2016
  David Benson Tonga, The Early Period Royal 2016
  Les Molnar   Orapex 2016
  Michael Mather London Cancels Development During the Victorian Period Novapex 2016

Herbert Dubé Lectureship Award

The award presented to Michel Houde in 2022. A watercolour landscape entitled "Oasis", by Tomas Del Balso, an artist from Prince Edward County in Ontario.

The Herbert Dubé Lectureship Award is presented to Society members who have published a significant paper in either book form or in one of the leading philatelic journals, and who has also presented their work to the members in one of our monthly meetings. The award consists of an objet d’art and a certificate suitable for framing. This is the highest award the Society can bestow upon a member.

The Dubé Award varies from year to year.

Year Winner For Comments
1970 Dr. Fred G. Stulberg Branch, Street and Depot Post offices of Toronto 1880 to 1900 This, the very first Dubé Award, was presented to Dr. Stulberg by Herbert Dubé himself at the 1970 Annual Banquet.
1973 Dr. Robert A. Chaplin His paper on the Large Queens  
1975 Harry Lussey ... ...
1977 Dr. Fred Stulberg ... ...
1982 Kenneth Rowe RDP, FRPSC Postage History and Postage Stamps of Serbia. ...
  Mirko Rasic ... ...
  Allan L. Steinhart ... ...
1987 Allan L. Steinhart    
  Kenneth Rowe RDP, FRPSC ... ...
  Michael Madesker  RDP, FRPSC Canada Booklets 1900 - 1935 ...
1988 Major E.R. (Ritch) Toop    
1992 Fred R. Stubens The Mediterranean Mails  
2004 Murray Heifetz OAT and AV2 Markings  
2006 Peter Spencer The Wearing of the Green & Pretty In Pink  (2 books)

Peter had both of  his books published within a year of each other, as well as making presentations of both of his highly specialized studies to the Society.
2008 Ken Snelson UK Taxe Marks for International Mail 1875 to 2000 Book
2009 John Tyacke The Postal History of World War II Mail Between Canada and Switzerland  
2010 Charles J.G. Verge  FRPSC The 1959 St. Lawrence Seaway Joint Issue and Its Invert Book
2011 J. Edward (Ted) Nixon  FRPSC Canada's Postage Stamps of the Small Queen Era, 1870-1897 Book co-authored by John Hillson
2017 Andrew Chung
Hank Narbonne
The New Specialised Catalogue of Canada Post Office Official First Day covers Book
2019 Robert G. Anderson Brant County Postmarks and Cancels to 1930 Book
2022 Michel Houde The British Consulate Post Office at Bangkok 1855 – 1885 Book published by the Stuart Rossiter Trust
2023 Chris Hargreaves The Air Mails of Canada and Newfoundland Editor-in-Chief of the second edition

Sutherland-McKanna Award

This award is a medal that was donated to the Society in 2007 in honour of Harry Sutherland and Alan McKanna. It is engraved “Sutherland & McKanna” and is presented annually at our December meeting to the member exhibiting the best competitive Single-Frame Exhibit at that meeting.

Identical medals, but not so-engraved, can be awarded at the discretion of the Executive. Honorary Life Members and Banquet Speakers are recipients of this version of the medal.

The December meeting was traditionally a Show & Tell meeting, called President’s Night, when members could show off their latest acquisitions or update the membership on their on-going studies. However, in 1993 it was decided that the December meeting would be a chance for members to present a specialized single-frame exhibit of 16 pages which would now be judged and winners chosen for First, Second and Third place. The exhibit was to be a new exhibit made specifically for this evening, not one that had previously been shown or entered into competition elsewhere. Each presenter would have exactly three minutes in which to describe their exhibit to those present. Originally, the winner would receive a gift (typically a bottle) provided by the President. More recently, all three winners would receive a gift along with an appropriate certificate suitable for framing. As of the December 2007 meeting, the First place winner would also receive the Sutherland-McKanna Medal, a supply of which having been donated by an anonymous member. These meetings are typically some of the most popular, due to the tremendous variety and extraordinary quality of material. Three judges are chosen from the members who were not exhibiting.

(*Presented with the Sutherland-McKanna Medal)

Year Winners Exhibit Titles
Dec 1993 1st      Fred Fawn Canadian Imperial Penny Postage 1898
  2nd     Fred Stubens Hong Kong / China Mail to Overseas Destinations
  3rd     Don Welsh Marine Post Offices of New Zealand 1923-1938
     
Dec 1994 1st      Fred Fawn The 15¢ Large Queen
  2nd     John Tyacke Re-direction of Mail to Boer War POWs in India
  3rd     Allan Steinhart Canadian Handstamps; US Postage Prepaid or Collect
     
Dec 1995 1st     George Buza The 1927 Airmails of Hungary
  2nd     Don Welsh Fiji Port of Arrival and Paquebot Cancellations 1882-1990
  3rd     Ed Walton

The Baenniger Correspondence 1940-1945

     
Dec 1996 1st      Don Welsh Stamp Issues and Related Ephemera of the Edwardian Period
  2nd     (not recorded)  
 

3rd     (not recorded)

 
     
Dec 1997 1st      Don Welsh Fiji – Pirogue Issues 1893-1902
  2nd     (not recorded)  
  3rd     (not recorded)  
     
Dec 1998 1st      John Wilson (not recorded)
  2nd     (not recorded)  
  3rd     (not recorded)  
     
Dec 1999 1st      Ed Walton Gümligen Postally and in Pictures
  2nd     Alan Hanks The Victoria Falls
  3rd     Murray Heifetz The Flag of Israel, its Origins and Development
     
Dec 2000 1st      Ken Snelson Liverpool: Tax Marks for Underpaid Postal Union Mail
  2nd     (not recorded)  
  3rd     (not recorded)  
     
Dec 2001 1st      JJ Danielski The Origins of the Polish Red Cross
  2nd     Ingo Nessel Hong Kong Jusqu’a Markings
  3rd     John Wilson

Brother Carl’s Share of the Chocolates

     
Dec 2002 1st      Stuart Reddington Review of the Penny Black
  2nd     Fred Fawn The Map Stamp – From Essay to Stamp
  3rd     Peter Lerpiniere Madagascar RPOs
     
Dec 2003 1st      Sam Chiu The Last Chinese Empire: Hung Hsien
  2nd     (not recorded)  
  3rd     (not recorded)  
     
Dec 2004 1st      Fred Fawn 1919 Hungarian Council Republican Issue
  2nd     (not recorded)  
  3rd     (not recorded)  
     
Dec 2005 1st      Sam Chiu Japanese Occupation of Wei Hai Wei 1896-97
  2nd     Rod Paige Those Beautiful Blues
  3rd     Michel Houde Security Markings – British Consular Post Office at Bangkok
     
Dec 2006 1st      John Wilson Mail to and from Ships in Hong Kong Harbour 1860-1939
  2nd     Michael Madesker Life of a Triple Alliance POW in a Triple Entente Regime
  3rd     Herb McNaught The Quebec Tercentenary Issue – From Design to Finished Stamp
     
Dec 2007 1st       Sam Chiu* Pre-War Port Arthur
  2nd      Fred Fawn Canada – The Large Queens: Postal Rates
  3rd       Murray Heifetz French Airmail Etiquettes
     
Dec 2008 1st       Bob Thorne* Perfect Machines Used at Montreal Stations
  2nd      Fred Fawn Nova Scotia 1851-1863, The Preliminaries
  3rd       Alan Hanks The Beautiful Blues
     
Dec 2009 1st       Jean-Jacques Tillard* Saint-Pierre & Miquelon: Mountain and Trees, a 1947 Issue
  2nd      John Wilson The Postmen's Beat Chops of Hong Kong, to 1941
  3rd      Alan Hanks Tales of the Tails
     
Dec 2010 1st       Rod Paige* Railway Related Cancels and Marks of Victorian & Edwardian Great Britain
2nd      Victor Potter Germany -- Postcard & Letter Rates: January 1900 - June 1923
3rd       Bob Thorne IPS Black Squares
   
Dec 2011 1st       Bob Thorne* Half Penny Orange During the Second Boer War
2nd      Victor Potter Marks of the Scottish Additional ½d Mail Tax, 1813-1839, Used in England
3rd       Rod Paige Great Britain, The Maltese Cross Cancels
   
Dec 2012 1st       Jean-Jacques Tillard* Saint-Pierre & Miquelon: Le 10c rouge "GROUPE" et ses différents usages
2nd      Ken Snelson UK Postage Due Mail By Air in North America to 1947
3rd       Rod Paige Early Jersey Postmarks
Most Popular:   John Anders Bullfighting
   
Dec 2013 1st       Ken Snelson* UK Returned Letter Offices & Branches and their Envlopes 1852-1912
2nd      Michel Houde A Philatelic Narration of the Life & Career of Major Richard Pattinson, an Almost Forgotten Canadian
3rd      Bob Thorne Halifax WWII Blackout Machine Cancellations
Most Popular:  Michel Houde A Philatelic Narration of the Life & Career of Major Richard Pattinson, an Almost Forgotten Canadian
   
Dec 2014 1st       Ken Snelson* Underpaid Mail Between South Africa and the UK Prior to WWII
2nd      Stuart Reddington Canada’s 3 Cent Small Queen - Perf 12 ½
3rd       Rod Paige Great Britain: 1844 Type Barred-Numeral Cancellations
Most Popular:   Fred Fawn Essays & Proofs - Hungary 1919
   
Dec 2015 1st       Sam Chiu* WWI Chinese Labour Corps
2nd      Garfield Portch Expansion of the Post Office in Toronto, 1880-1899
3rd       David Foot Australian Rocket Mail
Most Popular:   Kathy Hartley Victoria and Adelaide: The Heart of a Philatelic Community
 
(*Presented with the Sutherland-McKanna Medal)

PSSC Lapel Pin

New members who accept their invitation to join the Society have twenty-four months to present a lecture to a meeting of the Society. As an alternative to the lecture, other means of attainment include service to the Society, scholarly publication, and significant contribution to the Society or to the betterment of philately in Canada. The PSSC Lapel Pin is then awarded to members upon fulfillment of this membership obligation.