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Queen's Park steps up AlDSaction ALLAN MCLEAN MPP Simcoe East Acquired _ immune deficiency syndrome, or AIDS, has been in the headlines throughout the summer months. With the renewed publicity and interest in this disease, the Liberal Government is following up on action initiated by previous Cape Triangular Stamp is root of dealer's success story by LARRY MCINNIS A single stamp design issued between 1853 and 1863 is credited with being the success story behind one of the largest stamp dealers in the world Stanley Gibbons. It's the Cape Triangular. As the name would imply, it's a triangular stamp, the world's first, issued in 1853 for the British colony of Cap of Good Hope, which is now part of South Africa. (For the _ trivia- minded, the first stamp in the world picturing the founder of the Boy Scout movement, Robert Baden-Powell, was issued there April 9, 1900, although he was a military officer at the time.) Back to the Cape Triangular, and back to a young man who was one of the earliest to be so bitten by the stamp bug that he wanted to make it his life's work. Stanley Edward Gibbons was born in 1840, the year of the world's first adhesive postage stamp, now known as the Penny Black. By the age of 14, he had a_ stamp collection. Gibbons was the sone of a chemist, which we now call a druggist. Between 1854 and 1859, he was dealing in stamps from a small portion of his father's store in Plymouth, and in 1959 business had expanded so much he had a room above the store, and had hired an employee. This was less than two decades after the first stamp, but still a few years away from his windfall. Between 1859 and 1863, following his father's death, Gibbon's stamp business became greater than the drug store business, so he sold the latter to become a fulltime stamp dealer. The magic happened in 1863, as legend has it. One day two sailors entered his Treville St. store in Plymouth and dumped a duffle bag of stamps onto the satble. They said they had been on shore leave in Cape Town when they went to a party. They won the bag of stamps in a raffle. It boggles the mind to picture two British sailors ashore in Cape Town being at an event that offered postage stamps as a raffle prize, but that's the story. It's even more mind- boggling to consider these sailor taking their prize aboard ship, protecting it carefully all the way back to the British seaport of Plymeuth -- but they did. Gibbons offered them the equivalent of $25 about $10 today, but no doubt a princely sum at the time. The stamps that were so cheap then --- and Gibbons was selling them by the gross (that's 144, folks) for pennies -- are not so cheap now. A one-penny red issued in 1861 catalogues at $12,000 unused and $3,250 used (Scott No. 7). There's even an error, in a four- penny red (Scott No. 9b) that catalogues at $100,000. Gibbons _ business, spurred by the Cape Triangulars increased so much that he moved to Clapham, near London. Even that wasn't enough -- he soon moved to Tower St. in London. Gibbons retired in 1890 when he sold the frim to Charles J. Phillips for the equivalent of $125,000 -- real big bucks at the time. The firm went on to become the world's largest stamp dealing frim, a claim still made, but pe: iaps not accurate. Stanley Gibbons has had a number of owners since Phillips, but its troubles began in 1979 when it was sold to the firm that sells Letraset, the wunderkind do-it- yourself graphics material. This is not a stamp column, not a_ big- business column. It didn't work. Letraset sold Gibbons to a Swedish firm, which then sold it to a group of people who had worked for Gibbons and went out and raised the funds to make it British- owned again. Later, there was a short-lived move by a philatelic entrepreneur to take over' the venerable firm and make it an agent for the many spurious issues so many former British colonies put out, not to mention issues _ for places that have-.no right to issue, such as the Scottish islands of Staffa, Bernera, and more. It didn't work. Gibbons is getting back on track and is striving to regain collector confidence. Guess What? Gibbons is currently selling Cape Triangulars in a promotion to renew interest in the firm. (Write Stanley Gibbons International Limited, 399 Strand, London WCR OLX I doubt if they're selling the stamps from the bag Stanley Gibbons Page 10, Tuesday, October 15, 1985 had dumped on his table so long ago. LETTERS Letters are invited. Please send enquiries to the writer at P.O.Box 40, Beauharnois, Que., J6N 3C1. FELT SQUARES Progressive Conserv- ative governments. In June 1983, the Ministry of Health established a provincial advisory committee on AIDS to monitor the disease in Ontario, to advise doctors and to help the Ministry establish priorities for research. Since than a total of $700,000 has been made available to support AIDS research. The University of Toronto is conducting a comprehensive study on AIDS, and work is also being conducted at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children and the University of Western Ontario, in London. Special tea BROADCLOTH [Pp up on this research and advisory program, the Liberal Government has announced it will donate $1 million to the Canadian Red Cross to start a nation-wide blood screening and testing program to ensure no blood containing the AIDS disease is used in transfusions. This Red _ Cross program is_ being developed with the help of the Ontario advisory committee on AIDS, as well as national committees, the Canadian Blood Committee and the Laboratory Centre for Disease Control in Assorted colours, some ends. AT FABRICLAND ONLY -3/99c | anes TRIMS ans SM / 99c | _ Midland Huronia Mall, Midland Barrie 534 Bayfield St. N. Barrie Ontario. This fall, the Ministry of Health' s central laboratory in Etobicoke will begin testing suspected AIDS cases. It is expected that the cost for starting this service will be in the neighbourhood of $200,000. Once this service is in operation, doctors from across Ontario can send Specimens from suspected AIDS cases for expert analysis at the Ministry laboratory. This service will be insured by OHIP and will supplement testing that has gone on at the Ottawa Laboratory Centre for Disease Control. I am pleased to see the new Liberal Government following up on action to curb the spread of AIDS. But more must be done to properly educate the public about this disease. In addition, support must be given to those suffering from AIDS but still capable of leading an_ active community life. It is my hope the new Minister of Health, the Hon. Murray Elston, will ensure that the people of Ontario are kept fully and accurately informed about AIDS. The public needs, and deserves, to know more about this disease. | 90-150cm wide, assorted widths & '| contents Knits, Wovens & more! \ Huge selection! | FROM an LUREX METALLICS 90-150cm wide NOW 49: SPARKLES & GLITTERS| 25% cf Ends. 150cm wide. Large assortment of colours, NOW AT FABRICLAND FAL LARGEST BRICLAND FASHION FABRIC DISTRIBUTOR Ree a a ee ee AE OE ee pe ee ee aes ~~ > er ee tlm Cet