Canada: Its Postage Stamps and Postal Stationery Part 38

Strictly speaking, the so-called "officially sealed stamps" are not stamps, as that term is technically employed in philately. To the uninitiated any design impressed upon a label, whether gummed and perforated or not, may be termed a stamp; but the ordinarily accepted use of the term has been restricted, at least in philatelic lore, to the label that represents a value, collected or chargeable, in the service in which it is employed. There may therefore be postal, telegraph or fiscal stamps, and because of the ident.i.ty in use--to show that _no_ fee is required,--we can stretch our definition to include franking labels, such as are often used officially. But the "officially sealed" label performs no such function, and is, as its name implies, simply a _seal_ which fulfils that purpose alone and therefore does not properly belong in the company of postage stamps. Our only reason for touching upon these labels here is that they have been included in some of the catalogs for years and many collectors possess them; consequently it seems desirable to give their history along with that of their more worthy prototypes.

The label figured as Number 117 on Plate X, seems to have been first reported in _Le Timbre-Poste_ for October, 1879, and its date of issue is usually given as that year. But little seems to have been known about it for some time, which perhaps was partly due to its scarcity and partly because it did not attract the notice that a regular postage stamp issue would have.

The London Society's book quoted a somewhat ambiguous explanation of the use to which the label was put, which had appeared in the _Halifax Philatelist_;[202] but it remained for Major Evans to clear up the matter in the columns of the _Philatelic Record_.[203] We cannot do better than quote this in full:--

With reference to what is said about the Canadian _officially-sealed_ label in the London Society's new book, I am glad to be able to throw some light upon the question as to the manner of its employment.

When I was in Canada last July [1889] I made special enquiries about these labels, as there appeared to be some mystery about their use.

Everyone agreed that they were not placed upon _all_ letters opened at the Dead Letter Office and returned to their senders, and no two persons seemed to have quite the same theory as to the rules for their employment or non-employment in any particular case. Even gentlemen connected with the Post-Office at Halifax, such as Mr.

King and others, could give me no definite information. I therefore determined to see what I could do at the head-quarters at Ottawa.

Fortunately, I was able, through a collector in an official position, to obtain an introduction to the Deputy Postmaster-General, who most kindly gave me the following particulars, which show that the employment of the _officially sealed_ labels is very restricted, thus accounting for their rarity.

Letters in Canada, as in the United States, very frequently have on the outside the well-known notice containing the address of the sender, and a request that the letter may be returned if not delivered within a certain time. These of course are not opened at the Dead Letter Office, and in fact, I think, are ordered not to be sent there, but are returned direct from the office to which they were originally addressed or from the head office of the district.

On the other hand, those that have no indication of the address of the sender on the outside are sent to the Dead Letter Office, and there necessarily opened; but neither of these cla.s.ses thus properly dealt with is considered to require the _officially-sealed_ label.

It is only if one of the former cla.s.s, having the sender's name and address on the outside, is sent to the Dead Letter Office and there opened in _error_ that the _officially-sealed_ label is applied, to show that such letter has been opened officially, and not by any unauthorized person. Whether these pieces of gummed paper ever had a more extended use or not I cannot say, but I was a.s.sured that the above was the substance of the regulations as to their employment.

The Deputy Postmaster-General further stated that there had been so many requests for specimens of these labels that the Department had been obliged to make it a rule to turn a deaf ear to all of them.

In any case they are not _postage stamps_, properly speaking, at all. They indicate neither postage paid nor postage due, but simply that the letters to which they are attached have been opened by proper authority, and they at the same time afford a means for reclosing them.

[202] =North American Colonies of Great Britain=, page 19; =Halifax Philatelist=, I: 15.

[203] =Philatelic Record=, XI: 210.

The labels are of relatively large size, being 25-1/2 by 38 mm. The design is mostly engine-turned work, with the words OFFICIALLY SEALED on a label across the center; above this appears, in a curve, POST OFFICE CANADA, and beneath likewise DEAD LETTER OFFICE. The label is a fine piece of line engraving, but we have been unable to ascertain the size of the sheets in which it was printed. Doubtless the usual four marginal imprints were employed, being the "Montreal" type in pearled border.

It seems to be the general idea that the first printing of the labels, which were in a dark red-brown, was the only one, but no information is at hand concerning the quant.i.ty delivered. At any rate in the Canadian Notes in _Mekeel's Weekly Stamp News_ for November 30, 1892 we read that:--"From a reliable source it is learned that the old die of the Canada official seal stamp has been spoiled or rather destroyed for further use by the Bank Note Company, who have possession of it." We suggest that the words "spoiled" and "destroyed" have been transposed in the original, the meaning evidently being that the die had been defaced as of no further use.

The labels were normally perforated the usual 12, but the same journal for April 13, 1892 reports that a whole sheet had been seen in an imperforate condition.

Though various rumors that the use of these labels was to be discontinued are to be found in the late "90's" and early "00's", and though the defacing of the die would perhaps indicate such intention, yet a new issue in changed design made its appearance about 1905, which was of course engraved by the American Bank Note Co., who then held the contract for furnis.h.i.+ng stamps. This handsome label, figured as Number 116 on Plate X, was adapted from the magnificent "Law Stamps" of the "series of 1897", which stand as some of the finest fiscal stamps ever issued. The central vignette, with its portrait of Queen Victoria at the time of the Diamond Jubilee, the word CANADA arched above, and the engine-turned border, are reproduced in their entirety from the fiscal stamp; DEAD LETTER OFFICE and more engine-turned work replace the LAW STAMP inscription of the prototype beneath the vignette, and OFFICIALLY SEALED is filled in in block letters of varying heights at the top.

The labels are of course line engraved and perforated 12, but the sheet arrangement or details of quant.i.ty printed cannot be given. They were issued at first on a pale blue paper, but subsequently, about 1907, appeared on plain white paper.

CHAPTER XXI

THE STAMPED ENVELOPES

In its issue for June, 1904, the _London Philatelist_[204] ill.u.s.trated a cover, submitted by Mr. E. B. Greens.h.i.+elds of Montreal, which had the appearance of a provisional 3d. envelope. Concerning it Mr. Greens.h.i.+elds said:--"This letter was posted in New Carlisle, Gaspe, Lower Canada, on April 7th, 1851, and was stamped 'Three Pence' in two lines, inside a square, with a black border of neat design round the sides. Across this was written 'Letter R. W. Kelly Apl. 1851'. The letter was addressed to Toronto, C. W., and on the other side was stamped the date the letter was received, 'Apl. 16, 1851.'" The design was printed on the right upper corner of the envelope, "Three Pence" being in script type of a style then in vogue, and the border being a common type of loops. No stamp appeared on the cover nor the word PAID.

[204] =London Philatelist=, XIII: 153.

On enquiry of the Post Office Department at Ottawa the following reply was sent:--

OTTAWA, _2nd. March_, 1904.

SIR,--I am directed to acknowledge receipt of your communication of the 26th ultimo, inquiring whether R. W. Kelly was Postmaster of New Carlisle, Co. Gaspe, Quebec, in 1851, and in reply am directed to inform you that R. W. Kelly, doubtless the same man, was Postmaster of New Carlisle in 1851....

As regards your inquiry as to whether postage stamps were used on the 7th April, 1851, and your statement that you have an envelope sent on that date from New Carlisle to Toronto with "Three Pence"

printed on it, inside a fancy border, I have to say that postage stamps were issued to the public for the first time on the 23d April, 1851, and that stamped envelopes were not issued until some years later. The stamped envelope to which you refer may have been an envelope so stamped on the prepayment in the New Carlisle Post Office of three pence, the required charge for postage.

I am, sir, your obedient servant,

WILLIAM SMITH, _Secretary_.

Inasmuch as the impression is type-set and printed, it was doubtless a scheme of the Postmaster to prepare the envelopes and save stamping them with the office seals afterwards, as would be necessary if no adhesive stamp were attached. The cover in question was evidently used for his own convenience, but its use as a stamped envelope would depend upon whether it was sold to the public for their convenience as a prepaid cover. Under such conditions it would a.s.sume a character akin to the Postmaster's Provisionals of the United States, but no such evidence has been forthcoming, nor are other copies known. It is an interesting cover, particularly because of the lack of the word PAID, which should have been stamped upon it as well as the indication of the amount, according to the rules in force before adhesive stamps were used to indicate prepayment in themselves; but it had no government sanction, and has not yet been shown to have even the rank of a "semi-official issue."

Although following closely upon the heels of the United States in issuing postage stamps, less than four years having intervened, Canada was not so eager to introduce the stamped envelope, for she waited over six years before following the example of her big neighbor. The first reference to the innovation is found in the Postmaster General's Report for 30th September, 1859 (although the Report is actually dated 20th February, 1860), and reads as follows:--

For the promotion of public convenience by facilitating the prepayment of letters, Stamped Envelopes bearing Medallion Stamps of the postage value of 5c. and of 10c. respectively have been procured and issued for sale to the public, at an advance of 1/2 a cent on the value of each stamp, to cover the cost of the envelope, and of engraving the stamp, &c.

The precise date of issue does not seem to be on record, but the year 1860 is always given. From the stamp accounts, quoted below, we find the quant.i.ty issued for sale is qualified by the remark "during 8 months to Sept. 30", which would indicate that the envelopes were issued about the 1st February, 1860; and we have therefore a.s.signed this date to them until a more authoritative one is produced.

The next reference to the envelopes, including the accounts, appears in the Report for the year ending 30th September, 1860, as follows:--

STAMPED ENVELOPES.

5c. 10c. Value Received from Mfrs. 200,000 100,000 21,500.00 Issued for sale during 8 months to Sept. 30, 136,177 45,651 12,283.09 ------- ------- --------- Remaining, 63,823 54,349 9,216.91

The number of Stamped Envelopes, actually used by the public, has been but small, as a considerable proportion of those issued remain in the hands of Postmasters.

The cost of manufacture of the stamped envelopes was included, as we have already seen,[205] in the payments made to the American Bank Note Co. for stamps, etc., in 1860, so that they were obtained from that firm. They were not manufactured by them, however, but by George F.

Nesbitt & Co. of New York, who at that time held the contract for supplying the United States Government with stamped envelopes. The similarity of the stamped impression, both in size and general arrangement, to the United States envelope dies of 1860 will be noted, and the paper used for the envelopes will be found to be similar, even to the watermark, while the two "knives" used for cutting the envelope blanks will be found to agree with numbers 2 and 11 of the Tiffany, Bogert and Rechert catalog. It was evidently a case of the Bank Note Co.

subletting the contract to Nesbitt, who was regularly in the business.

[205] See page 90.

Nothing further appears in the Reports in regard to the stamped envelopes, except the tables of statistics, until the Report of 30th June, 1864, which says:--"In order to promote the use of the Stamped Envelopes a reduction in the price to the public was made from 1st October, 1864, from $5.50 per 100 for the five cent and $10.50 per 100 for the ten cent envelopes, to $5.30 and $10.30 per 100 respectively."

But even this bait did not attract, for the next year's Report remarks:--"The recent reduction in the price of stamped envelopes has not led to any material increase in the demand." For two years longer the accounts are given, but with the first Report of the Dominion of Canada, for the year ending 30th June, 1868, they disappear, the envelopes evidently having been given up as a bad investment at the close of the accounts of the Province of Canada, when it was merged into the Dominion.

We have already quoted the figures for the first supplies received and the quant.i.ties first issued to postmasters. It may be well to give the entire record for its historical value:--

5 cent. 10 cent.

Balance on hand, 30th Sept. 1860, 63,823 54,349 Returned by Post Masters, unsold, 1,529 1,905 ------ ------ 65,352 56,254 Issued for sale during year, 20,700 806 ------ ------ Balance on hand, 30th Sept. 1861, 44,652 55,448 Returned by Post Masters, unsold, 251 314 ------ ------ 44,903 55,762 Issued for sale during year, 9,595 844 ------ ------ Balance on hand, 30th Sept. 1862, 35,308 54,918 Returned by Post Masters, unsold, 4 ------ ------ 35,308 54,922 Issued for sale during year, 15,200 900 ------ ------ Balance on hand, 30th Sept. 1863, 20,108 54,022 Returned by Post Masters, unsold, 5,000 2,997 ------ ------ 25,108 57,019 Issued during 9 months, 14,800 850 ------ ------ Balance on hand, 30th June, 1864, 10,308 56,169 Returned by Post Masters, unsold, 6,444 5,632 Received from manufacturers, 25,000 ------ ------ 41,752 61,801 Issued for sale during year, 23,583 5,698

Balance on hand 30th June, 1865, 18,169 56,103 Returned by Post Masters, unsold, 382 225 ------ ------ 18,551 56,328 Issued to 30th June, 1866, 16,225 625 ------ ------ Balance 30th June, 1866, 2,326 55,703 Returned by Post Masters, unsold, 193 ------ ------ 2,326 55,896 Deduct envelopes short received, 10 ------ ------ 2,316 55,896 Issued to 30th. June, 1867, 2,270 172 ------ ------ Balance 30th. June, 1867, 46 55,724

These figures are the last that appear concerning the first issue of envelopes, the next Report, as already stated, having no mention of them at all. It was very probably because there were not enough to supply the added Provinces of the Dominion, in the case of the 5 cent envelopes, and princ.i.p.ally because they did not seem to be popular enough to warrant continuing their use that the envelopes did not remain in issue under the Dominion Government.

An inspection of the above table shows that the 5 cent envelopes were apparently issued at an average rate of perhaps 15,000 a year, while 800 only of the 10 cent were ordinarily put forth. This might indicate a fair consumption of the lower value by the public, particularly as the total receipt from the manufacturers was 225,000 and but 46 remainders are given at the close of the account. But it must be remembered that the table gives the quant.i.ties "issued to postmasters" and not the sales to the public by the postmasters. We know the public did not take particularly to the use of the envelopes, so that there were doubtless large quant.i.ties of them in postmaster's hands when their sale was discontinued. These would naturally be returned to the Department and destroyed, which would of course materially reduce the quant.i.ty issued as taken from the tables. Unfortunately these latter figures have not been obtainable; but it is certain from the rarity of used copies that nothing like 224,954 of the 5 cent and 44,276 of the 10 cent envelopes could have been sold to the public. We are able to ill.u.s.trate an entire used copy of each value as Numbers 130 and 131 on Plate XIV.