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
Not only were the sales of the 1/2 and 6 cent stamps thus restricted,
but notices were posted in the offices that none of the 1/2c., 6c., 8c.,
$1.00, $2.00, $3.00, $4.00, or $5.00 stamps would be sold unless the
whole set were taken. This proceeding naturally resulted in considerably
more protest on the part of stamp collectors and the public (?). Rumor
had it just after the issue was placed on sale that the 8 cent stamp had
been withdrawn, which probably accounts for the "run" upon that value
and its inclusion in the above restrictions. In fact a correspondent of
_Mekeel's Weekly Stamp News_, writing from Winnipeg, Man., on 25th June,
stated that "a sensation was caused amongst those interested by the
government on Tuesday [22nd June] recalling, by wire, all the 8c. stamps
of the new issue on hand at this office." This was later explained by a
letter published in the _Weekly Philatelic Era_:[124]--
POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT, CANADA,
POSTAGE STAMP BRANCH,
OTTAWA, 29th July, 1897.
SIR,--In reply to your letter of the 26th inst., I am directed to
say that the question of issuing partial sets of Jubilee stamps is
now under the consideration of the Department. In respect to the
recall of the 8 c. Jubilee stamps, I may say that it was but a
partial one, and intended to render possible a re-distribution of
that stamp on a basis more in accordance with the actual demand
therefor.
* * * * *
I am, Sir,
Your obdt. servant,
E. P. STANTON,
Superintendent.
[124] =Weekly Philatelic Era=, XI: 416.
Under date of 31st July it was announced from Ottawa that "the demand
for complete sets has been very large, about nine thousand sets having
already been issued".[125] The "partial sets" referred to in the above
letter were the next step in the unbending process, the decision to put
them on sale having been reached on 31st July, and their issue to the
public beginning on 4th August. Concerning this concession Mr. Donald A.
King says:[126]--
So soon as the demand for these [complete] sets was, to some extent
satisfied, the department yielding to another class of enquiries and
requests for sets up to and including the 50 cents and $1.00
respectively, made a distribution of such sets, the numbers being
apportioned upon a basis of the revenue of each money order office
throughout the Dominion. Between 30,000 and 40,000 sets were thus
distributed, and rapidly sold, as a very large number of requests
for further supplies came in from the different offices. The
following is the circular sent to postmasters regulating the sale of
these partial sets:
POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT. CANADA,
POSTAGE STAMP BRANCH,
OTTAWA, [August] 1897.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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