Canada: Its Postage Stamps and Postal Stationery Part 19

[86] =The Philatelist=. IV: 42.

The second addition was a 5 cent stamp, which is a bit of an anomaly inasmuch as it is a companion in size and design to the 1868 series, but was issued on October 1, 1875, after the series in reduced size, begun in 1870, had been practically completed. The explanation is simple: the die of this large 5 cent stamp had been engraved in 1867 with the other values of the first Dominion series,[87] but as there were no rates requiring such a denomination in the set, it was not issued. When in 1875 the need for a 3 cent value arose, the unused die was employed to make a plate for temporary use, until a new die conforming in size and design with the small stamps could be prepared. The large 5 cent stamp is thus really in the nature of a provisional, for its smaller and permanent successor followed it in about four months.

[87] In the first series of the =American Journal of Philately= for June 1, 1868 (I: 25) we read: "The Canadian Government have had a 5 cent stamp prepared, engraved of the same type as the present set, the most noticeable difference being the circle round the head which is corded.

The specimen sent us is printed in brown on India paper, bearing the Company's imprint underneath."

The statement is often made that the 5 cent denomination was required because of Canada's entry into the Universal Postal Union, which was inst.i.tuted on July 1, 1875. The statement has elements of truth in it, inasmuch as the indirect results of Canada's application produced the 5 cent rate which required the new stamp; but the statement is not exact because Canada was not actually admitted to the Postal Union until three years later. The Postmaster General's Reports tell the story. The Report for 30th June, 1875 says:--

A treaty for the formation of a General Postal Union, and for the adoption of uniform postage rates and regulations for International correspondence, was arranged and signed at Berne, Switzerland, in October, 1874, by the representatives of the Post Offices of the chief Nations of the world. This agreement took effect between all the countries which were directly parties to the Treaty, in July last.

The Treaty did not include the British Possessions beyond the sea, but Canada has, with the concurrence of the Imperial Government, applied for admission as a member of this Postal Union. Meanwhile the letter rate of postage between Canada and the United Kingdom has, by arrangement with the Imperial Post Office, been reduced to the International rate of 2-1/2 pence sterling--5 cents currency, established by the Union regulations; and this reduction has also been made applicable to correspondence pa.s.sing by way of New York, making the rate between Canada and the United Kingdom uniform at 5 cents by whatever route conveyed.

From the Report of 30th June, 1876 we find that the application of Canada for admission to the Universal Postal Union was not successful owing to the opposition of France. Because of differences with Great Britain in regard to admitting Colonies beyond the seas at the same rates as European countries, British India and the French Colonies had been admitted with a reduced rate of 6 pence per half ounce letter, so as to include cost of sea transit. France contended that Canada should be kept to the same terms. From the Report of 30th June, 1877 we learn that Canada by treaty had obtained the Postal Union rate of 5 cents with Germany, including Prussia, Saxony, Hanover, Bavaria, Baden and Wurtemberg. The letter rate with Newfoundland had also been reduced from 6 cents to 5 cents per half ounce.

The Report for 30th June, 1878 brings matters to fruition:--

At the meeting of the International Postal Congress, which, under the provisions of the Postal Treaty of Berne, concluded in October, 1874, took place at Paris in May, 1878, Canada was admitted to be a member of the General Postal Union from the 1st July, 1878, and in consequence the rate of letter postage between Canada and all Europe became one uniform charge of 5 cents per half ounce. Newspapers and other printed matter, and samples and patterns of merchandise also became subject to uniform postage rates and regulations for all destinations in Europe. Existing postal arrangements between the United States and Canada were, by mutual agreement, allowed to remain undisturbed by the entry of Canada into the Union, under a provision of the General Postal Union Treaty applicable to such a case.

The last remark refers to the treaty which took effect on 1st February, 1875, by which letters posted in Canada or the United States could be sent to the other country at the single domestic rate of three cents--of which more later.

This large 5 cent stamp was of course line engraved like the rest of the series, and issued in sheets of 100, ten rows of ten. The sheet bore four marginal imprints, arranged as before, but of a slightly different type from the 1868 issue. This new imprint is in capitals and lower case letters on a colored strip 56 mm. long and 2-1/2 mm. wide, with a border of pearls, and reads: "British American Bank Note Co. Montreal."

Doubtless the words "FIVE CENTS" in shaded Roman capitals would be found over the second and third stamps of the top row if one were fortunate enough to possess this portion of a sheet. The stamp is ill.u.s.trated as No. 21 on Plate I, and the marginal imprint is of the type shown in ill.u.s.tration No. 118 on plate XI. The normal color of this 5 cent stamp is an olive gray, and it is perforated 12, as are all the other values of the set.

The paper upon which the series of 1868 was printed was in general an ordinary white wove variety which varied considerably from a very thin, almost pelure quality to a quite hard and thick variety. Laid paper also makes its appearance again in this set. In Messrs. Corwin and King's article[88] we read:--"The 3 cents on laid paper was first brought to attention in the _Philatelic Record_ for March, 1882,[89] wherein it was stated that Mr. Tapling had a copy in his collection. The 1 cent was first mentioned in the _National Philatelist_ for January, 1883, by Mr.

Corwin, its discoverer, in these words: 'Some time since I saw noted in the _Philatelic Record_ the existence of a 3 cent Canada stamp, emission of 1868, on laid paper. In looking through my Canadian varieties, after reading this note, I discovered also a copy of the one cent red, same emission, on laid paper'". The 1 cent yellow is likewise catalogued by the London Society,[90] but the following remark is added: "The One Cent, yellow, on laid paper, is not known to the Society. It is taken from _The Halifax Philatelist_ for July, 1888, page 74." Concerning this Messrs. Corwin and King state:[91] "This was inserted in the _Halifax Philatelist_ in error; so far as we know this stamp does not exist. The original sin of chronicling this stamp, however, rests with M. Moens, for in the _Philatelic Record_ for January, 1883, the fact is stated that M. Moens states that he knows of the existence of the 1c. orange on laid paper." Mr. Charles Lathrop Pack adds his testimony against this quondam stamp:[92] "I do not believe that the 1c, yellow, exists on laid paper, None of the large collectors of Canada or of this country have seen it, and I believe there is no real authority for listing it."

There was none: and now that we have tracked it down, the laugh seems to be on the _Philatelic Record_, and M. Moens is absolved from his "original sin." In _Le Timbre-Poste_ for January, 1883, under the heading CANADA we read: "Semblable au 3 cents, 1868, sur papier _verge_ blanc, il existe: 1 cent, brun-orange." This was the information quoted in the _Philatelic Record_,[93] but the translator evidently mistook the proper rendering of the French color name as _orange-brown_, and translated it simply _orange_, whence the error spread. We can therefore dispose quite effectually of the question and of the phantom stamp in the same breath.

[88] =Metropolitan Philatelist=, II: 57.

[89] This is an error, for in =Le Timbre-Poste= for November, 1877 (XV: 841). M. Moens says: "M. Foure nous fait remarquer que le 3 cents [1868]

a ete imprime exceptionnellement sur papier verge."

[90] =North American Colonies of Great Britain=, page 16.

[91] =Metropolitan Philatelist=, II: 57.

[92] =London Philatelist=, XVI: 144.

[93] =Philatelic Record=. IV: 213.

Concerning the laid paper stamps Messrs. Corwin and King say they "must have been among the first issued, as we have seen a copy of the 1 cent, red-brown, postmarked November 27, 1868."[94] That this must have been the case is proved by the existence of the 1 cent in brown-red and not in yellow, as would have been the case if the paper were used in 1869 or thereafter. _Mekeel's Weekly_[95] also records the 3 cent on a cover bearing date of August 31, 1868.

[94] =Metropolitan Philatelist=, II: 57.

[95] =Mekeel's Weekly Stamp News=, IX: 64.

The 15 cent stamp was reported in the _American Journal of Philately_ for October, 1892, in these words: "Mr. F. de Coppet has shown us a 15 c. of the 1868 issue on thin paper, horizontally laid," and the stamp is described as "violet". We have not seen a copy, but if it was in the early "mauve" tint it probably was a companion of the 1 cent and 3 cents, the latter being found on both thick and thin horizontally laid paper according to Messrs. Corwin and King's lists. If the "violet" was of the gray shades, it belonged to a later printing and not with the early stamps. Mr. Pack lists another variety still[96]: "I also have a copy of the 15 c. on distinctly soft ribbed paper." This stamp is in the lilac gray shade and therefore belongs to later printings as we shall see, for this ribbed paper is found in all values of the small stamps of the succeeding issue.

[96] =London Philatelist=, XVI: 144.

One other variety of paper needs our attention, and that is the watermarked paper. The fact of its use was early known to collectors, for in _The Philatelist_ for February, 1870, in an article on "British North America" by W. Dudley Atlee, after the "Issue for Confederation"

is the following "Note.--There is also in the last series of adhesives a Three Cent printed on paper _watermarked_ with maker's name; these were most probably issued after the thin paper and before the usual stout paper emissions." Mr. H. F. Ketcheson, commenting on the above in 1889,[97] remarks: "the one cent red also appears on same paper, as I have two specimens of each in my possession." The _Halifax Philatelist,_[98] in its contemporary issue, also happened to note the discovery of two more values: "Mr. F. C. Kaye has shown us the 2 cent and 6 cent of the 1868 issue, with large watermarked letters of the same type as those in the 1 cent and 3 cent." The 12-1/2 and 15 cent were later found, but the 1/2 cent and 1 cent yellow have never been discovered. This latter fact doubtless determines the period when the paper was used, for, like the laid paper, if employed in 1869 or later we should find the 1 cent yellow instead of brown red printed on it. On the other hand, it could not have been used when the first consignments were being printed, probably early in 1868, or the 1/2 cent would be included in the series. This is determined by the fact that the first supply of the 1/2 cent lasted until the fiscal year of 1871-2, before any further printings were made. The watermarked paper must therefore have been used sometime during the course of the year 1868, probably the middle, when supplies of all values except the 1/2 cent were printed.

[97] =Dominion Philatelist=, I: 5.

[98] =Halifax Philatelist=, III: 8.

For the determination of the character of the watermark we are indebted to Mr. John N. Luff, whose thoroughness and ac.u.men when delving into a philatelic problem are proverbial. The result of his study was published in 1895[99] and we take the following extracts from his interesting paper:--

[99] =American Journal of Philately=, VIII: 77.

Most philatelic writers, when treating of the Canadian issue of 1868-75, give small s.p.a.ce to the series watermarked with large letters. Most of them make a few speculative remarks as to the probable watermark and then drop the subject. So far as I am aware, no one has taken the trouble to ascertain what the watermark actually is. The London Society in the _North American Colonies of Great Britain_ says: "Some of the stamps on wove paper have been catalogued with a watermark, consisting of various letters. It is probable that these letters are portions of the name of the papermaker, which most likely exists in the margin of the sheets."

Other writers are equally superficial. The _Catalogue for Advanced Collectors_ says: "Although we catalogue as varieties the stamps on watermarked paper, it is very possible that these form a separate issue. It may have happened that the printers, having-run short of the regular paper, replaced it by some similar paper that they had in stock, bearing this watermark"....

In the _Stamps of British North America_, by Messrs. C. B. Corwin and Donald A. King (_Metropolitan Philatelist_, June 1891), this watermark is given more attention. The possibility that it is the words "Canada Postage" or "Canada Post Office Department" is discussed and rejected, because the authors have found certain letters and pairs of letters which do not occur in these words.

It has seemed to me that it would be of interest, probably of value, to know exactly what this watermark is. I have therefore given the matter considerable study, and now have the pleasure of presenting the result to your readers. The extensive stock of the Scott Stamp & Coin Co., being placed at my disposal, together with a quant.i.ty of stamps from private sources ... I believe I have correctly reconstructed the watermark.

As the broadest letter measures only 12 mm., and the stamps are about 23mm. from center to center of perforations, there are usually parts of two or three letters on each stamp. I have found a large number of single letters, pairs, portions of three letters, and in one instance, a pair and parts of two letters. Of many combinations I have found several examples. I have also found quite a number of stamps showing parts of two rows of letters, one above the other.

Taking these in sequence we reconstruct the watermark

[Ill.u.s.tration:

E. & G. BOTHWELL CLUTHA MILLS]

The reader will please bear in mind, that when the stamps are viewed from the back, the letters read from right to left (at least when the sheets were placed normally in the press) as is usual with the Crown and CC, CA and other watermarks.

The letters are plain double lined capitals, except the third in the first line, C, which is more fancy, having a decided hook at the end of the lower curve and the upper curve ending in a point, instead of being cut off squarely, as in the case of the other letters. The E and C are followed by periods 2-1/2 mm. square. The initial capitals E, C and B are 13 mm. high, the other letters 12-1/2 mm. The upper row is about 140 mm. long, the lower about 122 mm., and the distance between the rows 11-1/2 mm. The watermark will thus fall on twelve stamps in each sheet of one hundred. But it cannot be argued from this that the stamps with watermark are only eight times as rare as those without, as we must take into consideration the proportionately large number of sheets on ordinary unwatermarked paper. The sheets were apparently placed on the press without much care, as the letters are frequently found reversed and inverted. I have not however found any placed vertically, nor have I found any other letters than the above....

As to the position of the watermark in the sheets, I believe it to be central. Its height, 37 mm., is great for a marginal watermark, and the fact that none of the letters have been found vertically, as is so frequently the case with marginal watermarks, is also in favor of a central location. We might also expect to find stamps on watermarked paper showing, as is not uncommon, the imprint of the contractors above or below, if the watermark were marginal. I, at least, have found none.

Mr. Luff considers that the watermarked stamps "are on an unofficial paper used temporarily," which is without doubt the case, at least as far as the temporary nature goes. He says further: "Compared with the large number without watermark, they are sufficiently scarce to indicate a provisional use of the paper and at the same time there are enough of them to show that a considerable number of sheets were printed."

For other varieties in this series we have the 1/2 cent on "bluish-white wove paper", listed by M. Moens in the sixth edition of his catalogue.

Messrs. Corwin and King say this "corresponds to our grayish paper, the shade sometimes being quite intense." But they list the entire series on "thin, soft, grayish wove paper", as well as the 1/2 cent and 1 cent brown-red on "pelure grayish paper". It may be that imperfect wiping of the plates had left an extra grayish tint upon the paper of the specimen that Moens singled out for cataloguing, just as occurred in the case of most values of the Post Office Department stamps of the United States.

Messrs. Corwin and King[100] give an extremely lengthy reference list of this issue on no less than _seventeen_ varieties of paper, with the remark that, "every variety we mention is distinct from any other", but, with Major Evans, we must remark that "we confess we are unable to follow our friend Mr. King through all the intricacies of these varieties of paper ... but the differences are, perhaps, more real than is indicted in the descriptions." On inspection the "seventeen varieties" seem to combine themselves into I: laid paper, of thick and thin qualities; II: watermarked paper; III: yellowish wove paper, very thin to very thick; and IV: grayish wove paper, from pelure to very thick. In both of the wove papers are found the differences due to the process of manufacture, the even texture of the plain wove variety and the mottled texture of the so-called "wire-wove" variety.

[100] =Metropolitan Philatelist=, II: 55 and =Monthly Journal=, VIII: 236.

The paper used for this issue is responsible for variations in the size of the stamps similar in character and origin to those we have already thoroughly discussed in connection with the 7-1/2 and 10 pence stamps of 1855-7. The design of the series is not calculated to render these variations so apparent as in the former case, but the extreme variations we have found have been carefully noted and are presented in the following list. It will be seen that the variation is confined to a half millimeter in each dimension.

1/2 cent, 16-3/4 21-1/2 mm.

17 21 mm.

1 cent, 19-1/2 24-1/2 mm.

20 24 mm.

2 cents, 19-1/2 24-1/2 mm.

20 24 mm.