Charles G. Firby (1996). Gems of Canadian Philately.

After a discussion with Denis Hamel, Executive Director of the CAPEX ’96 International Philatelic Exhibition, Charles Firby suggested that a Gems of Canadian Philately display be assembled from the collections of philatelists who would not be exhibiting competitively, and also include rarities held by dealers.

The original plan was to assemble an exhibit of 120 pages. Each page was to have only one item mounted. At the time, this goal seemed daunting, so Firby solicited the aid of John Jamieson who knew where most of the modern, as well as many of the older rarities, could be found for this display. The 2¢ Large Queen laid paper, for example, was a result of efforts. It was also decided that entrance should not be limited to valuable items; thus only rarity and importance became the criteria for acceptance.

Response to requests for participation was overwhelming. In early October 1995 Chuck called Denis and requested 10 frames of 16 pages. In November he requested 12 frames, and a month later was told he could have 16 frames. The exhibit was thus limited to 256 pages, and in some cases more than one item was mounted per page. The next logical decision was to produce this full colour book of the exhibit.