Canada: Its Postage Stamps and Postal Stationery Part 33

The King's head series of Canadian stamps will probably shortly make its appearance. The die has been received by the Post Office Department and approved of. The stamp will be very similar to the present stamp except that the maple leaf in each of the upper corners will be replaced by a crown. The figures of value will appear in the lower corner as at present and the value will be spelled out as at present in the oval frame which surrounds the portrait. This frame will be as in the present stamp. The portrait of the King shows him three-quarters to the right--head and shoulders, as the Queen is in the present stamp, but there is no crown on his head. The portrait is an exceptionally nice one and it is understood that Royalty has had something to do with its selection. The die was made in England, although the American Bank Note Co. are contractors for the government work.

The details given proved correct. The official announcement of the forthcoming issue was given in a circular to postmasters dated 10th June and signed by the Deputy Postmaster-General:[177]--

Postmasters are hereby informed that a new issue of postage stamps, bearing the portrait of His Majesty King Edward VII., and comprising five denominations (1c., 2c., 5c., 7c., and 10c.), is about to be supplied to Postmasters for sale in the usual way, but none of these stamps are to be sold until the first of July, 1903.

The colours of the forthcoming series will be the same respectively, as those now used for the denominations specified, except that the shade of the 7c. will be slightly deeper.

Postmasters will please bear in mind that, notwithstanding the new issue, they are not to return to the Department any of the old stamps on hand, but will sell them in the ordinary way. At first, the public may prefer getting new stamps, and if so, there is no objection to this wish being acceded to, but it is also desirable to work off in due course all remnants of old stamps.

A change in the design of the stamp of the present series of post-cards, post-bands and stamped envelopes, to correspond with that above referred to, will be made as soon as the present stock of these items shall have been exhausted.

[177] =Mekeel's Weekly Stamp News=, XVII: 254.

The new stamps were accordingly issued on "Dominion Day" (July 1st) of 1903. Their actual appearance brought forth the following interesting account of their preparation in the _London Philatelist_:[178]--

Although for a long time past we have been aware of the circ.u.mstances attending the preparation of the new postage stamps for Canada, and in a position to ill.u.s.trate the approved design, we have refrained from publis.h.i.+ng the facts in compliance with the desire of the authorities that no details should be made public until the stamps had been completed and were ready to be put into circulation.

We believe that the delay which has taken place in bringing out the new issue has been due to questions arising out of the existing contract under which the postage stamps of the Dominion are produced, and that even after the approval of the design and the receipt of the die some difficulties were experienced in connection with the preparation of the plates by the contractors.

These have happily been surmounted, and now that the issue is an accomplished fact it is with much gratification that we ill.u.s.trate the design of the new stamp, our ill.u.s.tration, prepared some time back, being taken from a proof from the steel die engraved by Messrs. Perkins, Bacon and Co., of London, and used in the manufacture of the plates of the several values issued by the Canadian postal authorities on the 1st. instant. By comparing our ill.u.s.tration with the stamp as issued it will be seen that the contractors or the postal authorities have made some alterations in the design, which, in our judgement, are by no means improvements.

The leaves in the lower corners have been redrawn on a smaller scale, and hardly impinge upon the frame; their drawing is vastly inferior, and the graceful effect of the broken circle is lost. The numerals of value are in colour on a white ground, reversing the original design, the labels being larger and the figures taller and thinner; this also detracting materially from the charming h.o.m.ogeneity of the stamp as first proposed. The greatest alteration, and the worst, is the subst.i.tution of heavy diagonal lines for horizontal ones in the background. The latter were finely drawn and delicately shaded, leaving the King's Head in clear outline, and _framed_ by the dark oval band containing the inscriptions. The background and frame no longer present this artistic effect, and the whole design materially suffers thereby.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

The circ.u.mstances connected with the inception of the issue are as gratifying as they are novel, and will be hailed with acclamation by the Philatelists of the British Empire.

The Postmaster of Canada, Sir William Mulock, being one of the many distinguished visitors to this country during the Coronation festivities, took the opportunity afforded by his visit of approaching the Prince of Wales, and of meeting His Royal Highness's suggestions and advice in the preparation of a new die for the Canadian stamps. The Prince, with his characteristic energy and courtesy, cheerfully undertook the task, and it will be seen from our ill.u.s.tration with absolute and conspicuous success. H. R. H.

wisely decided, in the first instance, that it is advisable to have some continuity of design in succeeding issues, and therefore adopted the frame and groundwork of the then current stamps as a basis. In selecting a portrait of His Majesty the Prince decided to rely upon a photograph giving a true likeness of the King as we know him, in lieu of an idealised representation by an artist. The photograph eventually chosen, with the full approval of His Majesty, was one taken shortly before the Coronation.

The likeness is undoubtedly what is termed a speaking one, and with the addition of the Coronation robes represents as faithful and as pleasing a picture of the King, at the time of his accession to the throne, as it is possible to find. The introduction of the Tudor crowns in the upper angles, which was another of the Prince's innovations, obviates the difficulty that has so often made "the head that wears a crown" lie "uneasy" on a postage stamp. These emblems of sovereignty, taken in conjunction with the Canadian maple leaves in the lower angles, complete a design that for harmony, boldness, and simplicity has a.s.suredly not been excelled by any hitherto issued stamps of the British Empire. It is palpable, on a.n.a.lyzing the stamp, (1) that the attractiveness of the design has in no way been allowed to militate against its utility, for its country of origin and denomination are clearly expressed; (2) that the boldness of the design has not been detracted from (as is so often the case) by superfluous ornamentation, and that the design has been artistically balanced by the introduction of the _right-sized portrait_ and the proper treatment of light and shade.

[178] =London Philatelist=, XII: 162.

We think it will be obvious, on comparing the ill.u.s.tration of the original design above with the issued stamps, that the modifications introduced into the lower corners by the American Bank Note Co. did not improve the appearance of the design. [Ill.u.s.tration No. 43 on Plate II.]

As stated in the Post Office circular, the colors followed those of the Queen's head stamps, except that the 7 cent value was given a darker shade, more of an olive than before and an improvement on its predecessor. The stamps were of course line engraved and printed in the usual sheet arrangement of ten rows of ten. The imprint was the same as on the Queen's head plates, being placed only over stamps 5 and 6 of the top row. The plate numbers began as before at No. 1 for each stamp, and up to the present writing, (Dec. 1910) there have been recorded the following:--

1 cent--1-10, 13, 14, 18, 19, 22, 24, 25, 34, 47, 48, 51, 52, 55, 58 2 cent--1-30, 35-40, 47, 53-59, 62, 63, 67-74, 78 5 cent--1, 2 7 cent--1 10 cent--1, 2

Over a year elapsed before any additions were made to the above set.

Finally _Mekeel's Weekly Stamp News_[179] published in its chronicle the following note from a correspondent:--"On Tuesday, 27th September, [1904] the last sheets of the 20c numerals were issued to the distributing offices, and the first issue of the 20c King's Head was made on the same day." The stamp of course corresponds in all particulars with the others of the set and continues the fine olive green color of its predecessor. But one plate number, 1, has so far appeared. The amount delivered by the manufacturers since its appearance has averaged about 400,000 per year.

[179] =Mekeel's Weekly Stamp News=, XVIII: 338.

The remaining value of the regular Canadian series, the 50 cent, because of its limited use and the stock of the 1893 issue still on hand, had escaped being included in either of the Queen's Head issues. But the old stock at last ran out in 1908 and on the 19th November, according to _Mekeel's Weekly Stamp News_,[180] this value appeared in the King's Head type, printed in a rich violet and making a very handsome addition to the series. It conforms in all respects to the other values, and bears the plate number 1. The supply of the stamp received up to 31st March, 1910, was 300,000 copies.

[180] =Mekeel's Weekly Stamp News=, XXII: 414.

It may have been noticed, however, that no 1/2 cent stamp has appeared in the King's head design. Trouble over this value seems to have begun to brew with the Jubilee stamps. We have already detailed the story as far as that issue is concerned, and also the manner in which the 1/2 cent "maple leaf" was forced to appear before the authorities reckoned.

Primarily intended for prepaying the rate on transient newspapers, this value was supposed to be employed only in that way, though its use had never been so restricted. Its yearly issue to postmasters had gradually increased from some 300,000 in 1869 to 900,000 in 1895. In 1898 the latter number had doubled, and by 1902 had only fallen to about 1,200,000. The trouble seemed to be partly due, at least, to the fact that stamp collectors were buying them up, and using them largely on their letter mail. This came to the attention of the Post Office Department, and resulted in the following Department Circular, published in the _Montreal Star_ for the 6th December, 1902:[181]--

The attention of postmasters is drawn to the fact that the postal necessity for the 1/2 cent stamp, as such, is now confined to one purpose--prepayment of newspapers and periodicals posted singly, and weighing not more than one ounce each (see Postal Guide, page xii, section 47). As publications of the kind referred to must, in the nature of things, be few, and as in the case of their being mailed to subscribers by the office of publication, the bulk rate of postage would be far cheaper and more convenient for the publisher, the demand for the 1/2 cent stamp throughout the Dominion must be appreciably diminished as a result of this restriction of its use.

While, of course, any number of 1/2 cent stamps on an article of correspondence will be recognized to the full extent of their aggregate face value, it is not the wish of the Department to supply them except for the sole specific purpose above mentioned, and an intimation to that effect should be given by postmasters to patrons of their office who are in the habit of buying 1/2 cent stamps for other postal purposes.

[181] =ibid.=, XVI: 471.

This circular seems to have had the desired effect, at least in good measure, for the stamp accounts in the Reports for succeeding years showed an average issue to postmasters of approximately 400,000 1/2 cent stamps, being a reduction of two-thirds. Finally, on the 19th May, 1909, an amendment[182] to the Post Office Act was pa.s.sed which repealed the provision granting the 1/2 cent rate to newspapers and periodicals weighing less than one ounce, when posted singly. This placed them in the one cent per ounce cla.s.s and sounded the death knell of the 1/2 cent stamp. The stamp accounts in the 1910 Report show 1,700 1/2 cent stamps on hand April 1, 1909, and 600,000 more received from the manufacturers.

These were all issued to postmasters and a foot-note finishes the story: "Discontinued June 10, 1909."

[182] 8-9 Edward VII, Chap. 30.

Just why the 1/2 cent stamp never was issued in the King's head type cannot be stated. All the other values then in use in Canada had made their appearance in this design, the 20 cent and 50 cent even having delayed their advent until the stock of previous types had been exhausted; but the 1/2 cent Queen's Head with numerals was regularly received from the printers and distributed to postmasters down to the middle of 1909, six years after the King's Heads first made their appearance. With the end of its usefulness at that time, of course, disappeared all hope of ever seeing it in the King's Head set.

In the issue for October 10, 1908, _Mekeel's Weekly Stamp News_ published the following editorial:--

We are enabled to report the existence of the two-cent Canada, current issue, imperforate, a reader having-shown us a sheet of one hundred of these varieties bearing the plate number 18. This is a discovery of momentous interest which must attract much attention not alone from specialists but from collectors, as we may say for the sake of distinction, as well. The fact that the pane bears so early a plate number removes it from any inclusion in the theory that the Canadian authorities propose to issue stamps in imperforate sheets in the manner that has been employed by the United States.

Without doubt, the sheet under notice was regularly prepared for issue in the accepted way and it is the belief from information at hand that a sheet of four hundred of the stamps was printed and reached the public.

This announcement created some comment and was made the subject of enquiry of the Post Office Department at Ottawa. The officials repudiated the idea that any such irregularity could have happened, but finally took steps to authenticate the report. In the issue of February 20, 1909, of the paper already quoted, is the full story of the "find", which has a peculiar interest, as will be seen later.

The sheet as found was not of 400 stamps but of over 200 stamps, as the right hand half of the sheet on which our report was based and which was not before us when we wrote, contained a pane of 100 stamps, plate number 14 and an irregularly torn part of plate number 13, showing about fifteen whole stamps and parts of others. a.s.suming that the lower pane in the left half was torn approximately in the manner of the right lower pane, or plate number 13, the find consisted originally of 230 stamps, more or less. This reckoning agrees, we believe, with the recollection of the person who rescued the imperforates from oblivion, in a philatelic sense. The plate numbers on the sheet that gave authority for the chronicling of the stamps by the _Weekly_ are 13 and 14, respectively, and not 18 as first printed.

A. N. Lemieux of Chicago is the man who found the stamps. While in Ottawa five years ago or so[183], when he was in business in that city, he saw the stamps just within the iron fence that has been described as surrounding the establishment of the bank note company that prints the Canadian stamps. The day was a rainy one and the sheet had evidently been blown out of the window. Mr. Lemieux apparently attached no value to the sheet of over two hundred stamps which was in a wet, crumpled condition and without gum. Mr. Lemieux was under the impression, no doubt, that, gum had been on the sheet but had been washed off by the rain.... Before he showed the stamps to the _Weekly_, Mr. Lemieux had disposed of the left half of the sheet or about 115 whole stamps to a collector ... on an exchange basis.... Mr. Lemieux was informed that the stamps still in his possession had no little philatelic interest as curiosities and he sold the specimens to Mr. Severn.

[183] This was later corrected to June, 1906.

Mr. Severn subsequently submitted the stamps to the officials at Ottawa, who p.r.o.nounced them "printer's waste" and stated that "they seemingly had been trampled upon and subjected to the usage that would be given such cast off material. Further, it was said that they had been blown or thrown out of a window, no doubt. It was suggested that the stamps be returned to Ottawa and that there were moral grounds for such a course on the part of the holders. The description of 'printer's waste' seems to be correct and the inference is that the stamps never had been gummed. They belong to that cla.s.s of curiosities that appeals strongly to the specialist but which the ordinary collector regards as something apart from his collecting policy."[184]

[184] =Mekeel's Weekly Stamp News=, XXIII: 66.

But now mark the result. The stamps very naturally did not go back to Ottawa, so Ottawa took pains to "get back" at the stamps! In the _Weekly_ of May 22, 1909, a correspondent writes:--

It may be of interest to know that the last supplement to the Canadian Post Office Guide contains the following: "In view of representations which have been made to the Department, it has been decided to permit the sale of the 2-cent denomination of Canadian postage stamps of the current issue, in sheets of 100, _without the usual perforation_." I at once asked for a sheet of 2-cent and incidentally said I would take a sheet of the other denominations if available. A reply came today informing me that only the 2-cent would be available, and then, not for some time, as the department intends to make a separate printing of these stamps, to supply whatever demand may occur.

The quotation from the _Guide_ appeared in the supplement for April, 1909, and concluded with the sentence:--"Applications for the same should be made to the Postmaster at Ottawa."

It might be inferred, perhaps, from the announcement in the _Guide_, that the activities of the mailing machine companies had induced the Canadian Post Office Department to cater to their convenience, as had been done in the United States, by issuing sheets of stamps, only purchaseable as such, in imperforate form. But no! The Department gave itself away! Note the following points:--Mr. Severn sent the original imperforates to Ottawa for examination. They had the plate numbers 13 and 14 on them. They were returned with the intimation that "it would be safer not to dispose of the sheet in view of the circ.u.mstances under which it reached the public. It was suggested that Mr. Severn might be 'recouped' the amount that he paid for the stamps if he relinquished them."[185] Naturally the stamps did not again see Ottawa. Six months later the Department placed on sale the 2 cent stamp in imperforate sheets of 100, BUT--it was announced that they could only be procured from the Postmaster at Ottawa; that only the 2 cent would be available; that the Department intended to make a _separate printing_ of the stamps; and when collectors obtained them they were found to be from the identical plates 13 and 14 of the "irregular" imperforates that Mr.

Severn held, although the regular issues of 2 cent stamps at that time were being printed from plates numbered at least up to 62. We said "identical plates," but in view of the early plate numbers and the delay in issuing the imperforates, the suspicion is strong that new plates may have been made and given the old numbers.

[185] =Mekeel's Weekly Stamp News=, XXIII: 190.

As no other values have since been issued imperforate, and as no other plate numbers have appeared in the 2 cent imperforate except the original 13 and 14, there is but one explanation for this "special printing" on these early plates, and that is an attempt to checkmate the holder of the originals and "to destroy what may be called an accidental monopoly of a stamp, the issue of which was not intended previously." As a clincher we make one more quotation:--"Now that Mr. Lemieux, the finder of the imperforates, has received the Quarterly Supplement alluded to, containing the order creating the imperforates neatly blue-pencilled, it is a.s.sumed that the issue of the stamps in this form has been made with the idea of rendering the sheet that escaped the department of no value. Thus philately plainly has its influence in this new emission ... and an interesting variety has been added to the philatelic supply by reason of the refusal to return the sheet that accidentally escaped some years ago."

The Postmaster General's Reports for the several years of the King's Head issue (1903 to date) have but little of special interest. The Report of 30th June, 1903, says:--"Towards the end of the fiscal year a new series of postage stamps, bearing the portrait of His Majesty King Edward VII, and comprising five denominations was supplied to Post Masters so as to be on sale throughout the Dominion on the 1st July, 1903."

The Report of 1905 states that a Postal Convention between Canada and Mexico came into operation on 1st July, 1905 by which first, second and third cla.s.s matter can be sent from either country to the other at the domestic rates of the country of origin.