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 design of these envelope stamps is in all respects similar to the
early type, but they are about half again as large. The embossed head
of the Queen is copied from the profile on the "large" cent stamps of
1868 and is tilted forward rather awkwardly in the frame. The 3 cent is
printed in bright red varying to rose, but the 1 cent instead of
following the yellow color of the adhesive is printed in blue, which
varies from quite pale to very dark. The envelopes were manufactured by
the British American Bank Note Co. from white laid unwatermarked paper,
and have a pointed flap with gum extending nearly the whole length. The
smaller sized envelope was also issued with the flap rounded into a
tongue, but the larger sized envelope is not known in this form. These
"tongued flap" envelopes were apparently an early variety, as the
_Philatelic Monthly_ records the 3 cent in its issue for April, 1878.
The 1 cent, however, does not seem to have been noted until the June,
1884 issue of _Le Timbre-Poste_.
[Illustration]
The earlier printings of the envelopes were upon a laid paper that had
the "cross vergures", or single laid lines that regularly cross the
general run, at a spacing of 18 mm. from each other. About 1888 another
paper came into use which had these "cross vergures" spaced 24 mm.
apart, and in some cases 27 mm. The two papers can be told at a glance
as they varied in tone, the latter variety having a slight cream tint
and the former being a pure white. These two varieties are of course
more noticeable in the entire envelope than in cut squares, and have
been listed as "rosy white" and "bluish white" papers, but we feel
unable to distinguish them thus as the terms seem wholly inapplicable.
The 1 cent envelope was chronicled in ultramarine in April, 1897, of
course on the small sized envelope and the cream toned laid paper.[210]
[210] =Monthly Journal=, VII: 175.
In May, 1896, the _Philatelic Record_ stated[211] that "Our publishers
have the envelope of the 3 cents red value with stamp roughly
lithographed instead of being embossed. Mr. J. B. Lewis, of Ottawa, says
only 110 were printed." This was a somewhat startling statement, and
Major Evans thus comments on it:[212]--
There have been reports of late, in various quarters, of a certain
number of the 3c. envelopes, of the current type, having had the
stamp impressed upon them by lithography instead of in the usual
manner.
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