A Proposed Commemorative Series
Before concluding our notes regarding the postage stamps proper of Canada it will be as well to make brief reference to a proposed commemorative series which, fortunately or unfortunately as one views these special sets, never eventuated. Early in 1914 proposals were on foot to celebrate the one hundredth anniversary of the birth of Sir George Etienne Cartier by the issue of a series of stamps of distinctive designs. Cartier was a famous Canadian premier who was born in Lower Canad
1 cent, Portraits of King George and Queen Mary.
2 cents, The Cartier Monument.
5 cents, Cartier's birthplace.
7 cents, Portrait of the Prince of Wales.
10 cents, Victoria Bridge, inaugurated by Cartier.
20 cents, Canadian Pacific Railway train inscribed “All Aboard for the West.”
50 cents, Cartier's Coat-of-Arms; motto, “Franc et sans dol”; inscription. “O Canada, mon pays, mes amours”.
It was at one time definitely announced that the stamps would be placed on sale on June 15th but a correspondent making enquiry at headquarters was informed that “the Department is not yet decided to sell the Cartier stamps.”
As the stamps still failed to make an appearance a firm of English stamp dealers wrote to the Canadian Post-Office department for information and received the following reply:—
Post Office Department, Canada.
Office of the Superintendent
of the Postage Stamp Branch.
Ottawa, 29th June, 1914.
Dear Sirs:—I beg to acknowledge the receipt of your favor addressed to the late Mr. Stanton, and in which you ask information with reference to the proposed issue of stamps to commemorate the centenary of Sir George Etienne Cartier. The information which you have received from outside sources is not only premature, but inaccurate in several details, and I can only say that although it is possible that these stamps may be issued during the course of the next few months the whole question is still under the consideration of the Department.
Yours very sincerely,
E. J. Lemaire, Superintendent.
Finally, owing very probably to the war, it was decided not to issue this special series of stamps.
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A Postmaster's Provisional
<p>Postage stamps were first placed on sale to the public in Canada on April 23rd, 1851, as we shall show later, but, according to an interesting article which appeared in the <em>London Philatelist</em> for June, 1904, it seems possible that at l... A Proposed Commemorative Series
<p>Before concluding our notes regarding the postage stamps proper of Canada it will be as well to make brief reference to a proposed commemorative series which, fortunately or unfortunately as one views these special sets, never eventuated. Early i... Introduction
<p>Canada was originally the French colony of New France, which comprised the range of territory as far west as the Mississippi, including the Great Lakes. After the war of independence it was confined to what are now the provinces of Quebec and ... Its Postal History
<p>The <em>Stamp Collector's Magazine</em> for August, 1868, contained an interesting article on the history of the Canadian Post-office, largely compiled from information given in the “Canadian Postal Guide,” which we cannot do better... Official Stamps
<p>Canada has never issued special postage stamps for use on departmental correspondence but in November, 1884, a German paper,—<em>Der Philatelist</em>—on the advice of a correspondent, chronicled a series for official use. These were s... The “2 Cents” Provisionals
<p>One result of the Imperial Conference on Postal Rates held in London, in addition to the inauguration of Imperial Penny Postage, was to revive the agitation for the reduction of the domestic rate on postage in Canada from 3c to 2c on letters we... The “map” Stamp Of 1898
<p>Shortly after Great Britain adopted penny postage for internal use in 1840 postal reformers began to dream of Ocean Penny Postage, and although universal penny postage is not yet an accomplished fact it is within reasonable distance of being s... The “maple Leaf” Issue Of 1897
<p>Soon after the printing contract was awarded to the American Bank Note Company it was rumoured that a new series of stamps would be issued, but for a time public expectations of the new stamps were overshadowed by the appearance of the Diamond... The “numeral” Issue Of 1898
<p>The “maple-leaf” issue had not been long in use before complaints were made that owing to the lack of plain numerals it was a difficult matter to distinguish the various denominations. In its issue for April 2nd, 1898, the <em>Metro... The “officially Sealed” Labels
<p>Although “officially sealed” labels cannot by any stretch of the imagination be considered as postage stamps or, indeed, of having any philatelic significance yet they are collected by many, in common with adhesive registered labels,... The 1c Orange Of 1869
<p>The 1c and 3c stamps of 1868 were so alike in color that it was soon found that confusion was easily possible between the two values. Early in 1869, therefore, the color of the 1c was changed to orange to prevent further mistakes. The exact da... The 20c And 50c Stamps Of 1893
<p>The Postmaster-General's Report for 1892 states that “Postage stamps of the value of 20 cents and 50 cents are about to be issued. These will be useful in prepayment of parcel post.” These high values were, of course, intended to be... The 20c Value Of 1900
<p>On the 29th of December, 1900, a 20c value was added to the numeral series, its advent being quite unannounced. The large 20c stamps of 1893 had been finally used up and the new label not only conformed to the others of the series in design bu... The 2c Carmine
<p>According to the Post Office circular quoted in our last chapter the issue of the 2c stamp in carmine—or red, as the color was officially termed—was to begin when the supply of surcharged 3c stamps was exhausted. The new 2c stamp w... The 8c Stamp Of 1893
<p>Until 1889 the registration fee had to be prepaid by means of the special stamps issued for the purpose. When, in 1889, a uniform registration fee of 5c was adopted the public were given permission to use the ordinary postage stamps in making ... The Bi-sected Provisionals
<p>The somewhat sudden reduction of the domestic postal rate from 3c to 2c on single letters led to the production of a few provisional stamps of peculiar character at Port Hood, N. S., the postmaster of that town dividing some of his 3c stamps i... The Diamond Jubilee Issue
<p>The year 1897 was an eventful one in the history of the British Empire, for on June 20th the greatly revered Queen Victoria celebrated the sixtieth anniversary of her accession to the throne. Naturally such an epochal event was marked in one w... The First “cents” Issue
<p>While the somewhat cumbrous English currency of pounds, shillings and pence has presented little or no difficulty in those parts of the Empire where it has always been on the same basis as in the Mother country, the fact that in Canada it had ... The First Dominion Issue
<p>The steady growth of Upper Canada, chiefly due to immigration, until it had twice the population of its sister Province, Lower Canada, aroused cries for a readjusted representation, which threatened the French with a hopeless minority in Parli... The First Issue
<p>In common with the other Colonies of British North America Canada was granted the privilege of administrating its own postal service in 1850, and in the same year an Act was passed providing for the change. It is hardly necessary to quote this... The King Edward Issue
<p>King Edward VII ascended the throne on January 22nd, 1901, but it was not until nearly two and a half years later that the Dominion of Canada issued new stamps bearing the portrait of the new sovereign. In the meantime there was much comment a... The King George Stamps
<p>On May 6th, 1910, King George V succeeded to the throne but the Dominion of Canada did not take steps towards issuing a series of stamps bearing the portrait of the new monarch until some time later. The 1c and 2c denominations were recorded in ... The Large 5c Stamp
<p>Although it somewhat interrupts the chronological sequence of our narrative, before dealing with the small “cents” stamps, first appearing in 1870, it will be as well to give the history of the large 5c stamp which, though not issue... The Perforated Pence Stamps
<p>In the Report of the Postmaster-General for September 30th, 1857, to which we have already made reference, we read:—</p> <div> <p>Moreover, the Department has been led, by the increasing use of Postage Stamps, to take measures for obt... The Postage Due Stamps
<p>Like most other countries Canada managed to collect the postage due on insufficiently prepaid mail matter for many years without the use of special stamps for the purpose. About 1906 it dawned on the Post Office Department that the use of specia... The Quebec Tercentenary Issue
<p>The year 1908 marked the three hundredth anniversary of the first permanent settlement in Canada, made by Champlain at Quebec in 1608, and plans were formed to celebrate the event in a fitting manner by means of fêtes, historical pageant... The Queen Victoria Seven Cents
<p>Although the reduction in the domestic rate of postage from 3c to 2c in 1899 made the 8c stamp—which was primarily intended for the combined payment of postage and the registration fee—of little use it was not until December, 1902,... The Registration Stamps
<p>The convenience of the registry system was adopted in Canada in May, 1855, at which time the fee was the remarkably low one of one penny. In 1856 the system was extended to cover letters sent to the United States by mutual agreement between the p... The Second Issue
<p>The third report of the Postmaster-General for Canada, dated March 31st, 1854, refers to a change in the rates of postage on single letters sent abroad and also mentions the possibility of additions to the meagre set of three values then curre... The Small “cents” Stamps
<p>In the <em>American Journal of Philately</em> for August, 1869, we read “Canada is shortly to have a new set of stamps. Taking lessons in economy from our own country, it seems they are about altering their stamps to make them smaller, so ... The Special Delivery Stamp
<p>In March, 1884, the <em>Philatelic Record</em> contained the following paragraph:—</p> <div> <p>We are informed that there is likely to be issued shortly “a new ten cent stamp of special design, which, when attached to a letter, wil... The War Tax Stamps
<p>One result of the European war was that Canada, in common with many other countries, had to impose special taxes. The Hon. W. T. White, Minister of Finance, outlined the various tariff changes and special taxes in the House of Commons, Ottawa, o...