Canada: Its Postage Stamps and Postal StationeryHowes, Clifton A. (Clifton Armstrong)
History
Canada: Its Postage Stamps and Postal Stationery
Howes, Clifton A. (Clifton Armstrong)
Postage stamps -- Canada; Postal stationery -- Canada
We see from the above postal packet rates where the use of a 20 cent
stamp would be convenient, which accounts for the announcement of the
new value in the Postmaster General's Report last quoted in the
preceding chapter. The 50 cent stamp of course would serve a useful
purpose in making up relatively large amounts of postage. The above
rates also show that there was still use for the 15 cent stamp in
payment of parcels to Newfoundland.
We find notice of the issue of the new values in the _Dominion
Philatelist_[117] as follows:--
As foreshadowed in the Postmaster General's report, there have
appeared Canada postage stamps of the value of 20c. and 50c.; the
20c. is a bright deep orange and the 50c. is indigo blue, they are
of similar design and resemble very much the third issue bill stamp
and may be described as follows: head and shoulders of Queen to
left, with widow's cap and chin resting on right hand, enclosed in a
circle; above the circle the words "Canada Postage", below the
circle at either side the value in figures and across the bottom the
value in words.... The above were all placed on sale Feb. 22nd. The
20c. and 50c. stamps were intended for parcel post.
[117] =Dominion Philatelist=, V: 31.
The somewhat ambiguous description will be more readily understood by
reference to the illustrations, numbers 33 and 35 on Plate II.
The stamps, as stated, are very evidently copied from the design of the
dollar values of the Bill Stamps issued in 1868. The portrait of the
Queen in her widow's weeds, in fact, is doubtless reproduced directly
from the original die engraved twenty-five years previously. The stamps
were of course line engraved on steel, and printed in the usual sheet
arrangement of 100, ten rows of ten. The plates of course emanated from
Ottawa, but bear a new imprint, similar to the second one used in
Montreal. The colored strip is now 38 mm. long and 2-1/2 mm. high with
square ends, and bears the legend: "British American Bank Note Co.
Ottawa." within a pearled border. It appears only twice, in the center
of the top and of the bottom margins, and can be seen in illustrations
Nos. 106 and 108 on Plate IX. The colors are not exactly as described in
our quotation, the 20 cent being a vermilion or bright red, similar to
the colors of the 3 cent, and the 50 cent a deep blue, but not indigo.
According to the advices of the _American Journal of Philately_ (VI:
102) the stamps were issued on the 17th February--five days earlier than
the above quotation states.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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