The Stamps of Canada

o

vitable conclusion that a change would have to be made sooner or later. The close proximity of Canada to the United States gave it a very practical illustration of the advantages of a decimal system of money; the American currency of dollars and cents was legalised in the Province of Canada in 185

1st July. Decimal stamps of the value of 1 cent, 5 cents, and 10 cents for ordinary correspondence, and of 12? cents for Canadian, and of 17 cents for British Packet Postag

ented to on May 4th, 1859, and as some of the provisions

of Newspapers, such rate of Postage, not exceeding one cent on each such Newspaper, as the Governor in Council shall from time

this Province shall pass free of postage, in cases other than th

five cents, per half ounce-the charge for advertising a dead letter from three farthings to two cents-the charge for returning a dead letter to the writer, from one p

per half ounce on delivery; and on letters posted for the British Mails, for the other British North American Provinces, or for the United States, when not prepaid, there shall be charged such additi

ning letters, may be sent by such Parcel Post, and when so sent shall be liable to such charges for

as compared with the old, provides for a greater limitation of the privilege of free

the parcel post until the Postmaster-General's

ic conveyance, on prepayment of a postage rate of 25 cents per lb., provided that the weight or size of the parcel does not exceed the car

he rate remaining at 25c per lb. Apparently the weight and size of a parcel acceptable by the postal authorities still

ue below the portrait. The 5c differs from the 3d not only as regards the new inscription of value but has small ornaments on the oval band dividing CANADA POSTAGE from FIVE CENTS. In the corners the numerals "5," replacing "3," are placed in an oblique position on a ground of crossed lines. The 10c differs from the 6d in having the corner numerals (represented by the Roman "X") placed obliquely on a cross hatched ground instead of upright on a ground of foliate ornamentation, while TEN

made use of in each case, the central port

, which firm had succeeded to the business established by Messrs. Rawdon, W

imprint, "American Bank Note Co., New York" appearing twice in each margin in very smal

1c stamp was included in the series in 1859 no 2c made its appearance until 1864. This new value was issued on August 1st, 1864, according to the Postmaster-General's Report for that year while the Report for the following year states that "A provision has been

a strikingly different appearance from that of the lower value. Curiously enough the 2c was printed in almost the

and should imagine its great similarity to the 1 cent, should the la

ts of 100 like the others of the series,

"double transfer" while Gibbons notes it as a variety "with extra line in outer oval at left". This variety, which is simply the most prominent of many double transfers found in connection with this 5c stamp, shows the outer line of th

ADA and POST of CANADA POSTAGE, in the numerals in

of the outer frame lines a

the outer frame lines affecti

band are faintly dou

e, and the lines of oval and frame all sh

ers NADA of CANADA at the upper left corner and while not

a slight doubling of the frame lines in the top left corner, as well as traces of colored lines in the adjacent "12

ajority of these stamps show a conspicuous dot of color in the position indicated. The stamps without the colored dot are, usually, those from the extreme left vertical row of the sheet. On this same value-the 5c-we have seen specimens with colored dots outside and slightly to the left of the lower left cor

e right of the O of POSTAGE. This is probably due to a minute defect on the transfer-roll impression. Many specimens of the 12?c value show the tongue of the E of POSTAGE the same length as the upper and lower arms though the end is generally covered with a colored smudge. We are at a loss to account for the cause of this variety but that it is a "constant" one we have

es not provide so much variation as that of the earlier emissi

e stamps are printed may b

oarse, white

a yellowish tint, a

h paper, very

aper, very sl

very hard and

variety of "ribbed" for the 1c and 5c denominations. Mr. Howes extends the "ribbed" variety to all values but, as we have pointed out in earlier chapters, it is extr

ng light, when the ribbing will appear like fine horizontal laid lines on the 5c, and vertical laid lines in the other values.

and those having the "appearance" of being ribbe

makes up for this lack in the others for it exists in almost every conceivable tint from bright red-lilac through s

errors. The Philatelic Record for October, 1882, says:-"We have seen a used imperforate copy of the 5 cents, 1859, which is beyond challenge". Mr. King states:-"The imperforate varieties are all

West. I also believe that these varieties were on sale at Kingston, Canada West,

side by side which were evidently used in prepayment of the 12?c rate, while Mr. Howes records the existence of a pair of the 5c used with a half stamp of the same denomination to make up the 12?c packet rate. The same writer records a diagonal half

ence

e American Bank Note Co., New York,

nk, Scott

se, Scott

ilion, Scot

lac, Scott

reen, Scot

lue, Scot