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
The Canada 2c. brown registration is at this time mentioned
frequently in the _Figaro_ and several other philatelic
publications. As there seems to be considerable doubt as to the
origin, and as I was in the main instrumental in introducing them to
the philatelic public, I have decided to give the information I
possess on this subject to them.
About the beginning of January, 1887, I was shown a registered
letter received from Miscou Light House Post Office in New
Brunswick. It had a BROWN 2c. registration stamp on it--a clear
unmistakable dark brown. I immediately wrote the postmaster there
for information relative to them. He answered and said that he had
23 on hand. That he had originally received 50 from the P. O. Dept.
at Ottawa, and that they were BROWN when he received them. This he
stated positively. I then sent to him for them, but before my letter
reached him he had used two of them so that I received only 21.
Those stamps I showed to several philatelists, and could not get two
to agree as to their origin. Some said the change in color was due
to the gum, others to chemical changes, others again said it was due
to the atmosphere from the salt water. Very few would allow a
misprint. In the meantime Mr. F. C. Kaye also came across another
registered letter with brown registration stamp. This time it was
from the P. O. of New Ross in Lunenberg Co., N. S. From this office
about 50 were obtained. The postmaster at this office was also
positive as to having received them from the Dept. at Ottawa in
brown. The same objections were raised to those as to the others, as
to whether they were a genuine misprint or not. In this case the
atmosphere of salt water was not the cause as New Ross is in the
interior. If the gum was the cause of their changing color, it is
peculiar that we do not get more of them. Changes by chemical means
were also tried. The only thing which would turn the red of the
genuine color to brown, was sulphuric acid mixed with water, and
this did not give a good clear color, having a somewhat greyish
shade in it. Those experiments have, in my opinion, confirmed their
genuineness. And now as if to make assurances in regard to their
genuineness more sure, we find a third post office with them. This
was Beauly, in Antigonish Co., N. S. There were, however, only 6
received from there, the postmaster had the same story as the
others, he had received them from the Dept. at Ottawa in a brown
color.
The Department at Ottawa was written to in regard to them, but as
was to be expected, knew nothing of them whatsoever. No doubt if
they had been seen they would not have been allowed to be issued to
the public.
Again we find some details given in _Mekeel's Weekly Stamp News_[199]
under "Canadian Notes" which evidently refer to another lot:--
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account