Canada: Its Postage Stamps and Postal Stationery Part 5

Of the three stamps issued, the first and most typical of Canada was the 3d. which was designed, so Mr. C. N. Robertson of Ottawa tells us, by Sir Sanford Fleming, a civil engineer and draughtsman. The central feature is a representation of the beaver in its native haunts, above which is the royal crown of England resting on a rose, thistle and shamrock, with the letters V and R (_Victoria Regina_) at either side. A reference to figure 6 on Plate I makes further description unnecessary.

The normal color was a bright red.

A quite marked variety of this stamp occurs in what is generally known as a "double strike" or "s.h.i.+fted transfer." It is _not_ due to accidental light contact of the sheet in printing, previous to the heavier impression in a slightly changed position, as is often suggested, but is a true plate variety, caused by a slight impression of the transfer roller in the wrong position on the plate previous to the heavy impression sunk in the proper position. This fact is shown by its being found in pairs and blocks with the normal stamp. It is recognized by the letters EE PEN being "doubled" at the top, making it appear as if a line had been drawn through the words and giving it the name, occasionally used of the "line through threepence" variety. The figure 3 also appears doubled at the bottom. Its position in the sheet has not been determined, but it occurs on all papers.

The 6d. stamp is in the usual upright form, containing a portrait of Albert, the Prince Consort. It has been impossible to trace the original of the picture, though diligent search has been made. The rose, thistle and shamrock again appear on the stamp, at either side of the oval frame and separating the inscriptions. Figure 1 of Plate I gives an excellent reproduction of this value. The normal color may be said to have been a slate violet.

The 12d. stamp is very similar in design to the 6d. stamp, but contains a portrait of Queen Victoria. This beautiful head, so often seen upon the early British Colonial stamps, was taken from the full length painting by Alfred Edward Chalon, R. A., which was ordered by the Queen for her mother, the d.u.c.h.ess of Kent, as a souvenir of Her Majesty's first visit to the House of Lords. The occasion was the prorogation of Parliament, on July 17, 1837, and the Queen is portrayed in her robes of state, because of which fact the painting is sometimes described as "in Coronation Robes," but this is erroneous.[10] The stamp is ill.u.s.trated as figure 2 on Plate I, and it will be noticed that the inscriptions in the oval frame are this time separated on either side by the royal crown. The color is black.

[10] London Philatelist, VI: 147.

The peculiarity in the expression of the value of this stamp as "Twelve Pence" instead of "One s.h.i.+lling," which would seem to be the natural form for such an amount in English money, was long a moot question amongst collectors. It was even suggested as an "error" of the American manufacturers of the stamp! But the controversy has been practically settled by reference to the monetary conditions of the period. A glance back at the rates of postage we have already quoted will show that it was generally necessary to give them in two forms, "currency" and "sterling." The somewhat depreciated Canadian currency required fifteen pence, as will be noted, to equal the s.h.i.+lling sterling--a point that is brought out on the two stamps issued subsequently for the British Packet rates. Add to this the fact that in New England the "s.h.i.+lling" was a current expression for 16-2/3 cents (10 pence currency), while in New York it represented 12-1/2 cents (7-1/2 pence currency) and we can readily see that in Canadian territory contiguous to these sections the number of pence to a "s.h.i.+lling" might often be a debatable quant.i.ty. As a matter of fact the French Canadians of Lower Canada made general use of the "s.h.i.+lling" as reckoned at 10 pence (20 cents) in the old currency, while the "York s.h.i.+lling" was extensively used in Upper Canada.[11] "Twelve pence" was without doubt wholly intentional, therefore, as the designation of the stamp, and was a happy solution of any ambiguity in its use, even if it has proved a stumbling block to the understanding of latter day collectors.

[11] Metropolitan Philatelist, I: 170.

An interesting essay for this stamp is in existence, being a companion for the 3 pence "beaver," inasmuch as the shape of the stamp and the central design are the same, though on a larger scale; the inscriptions, however, are on an octagonal frame around the picture instead of an elliptical one, and the value is expressed as "one s.h.i.+lling," with "1s"

in each spandrel. It was doubtless also a conception of Sir Sanford Fleming, the designer of the 3 pence, and it would be interesting to know what the companion 6 pence may have been.

The three issued stamps were ordered from and engraved on steel by Messrs. Rawdon, Wright, Hatch and Edson of New York, who, it will be interesting to note, were the engravers of the 1847 issue of United States stamps--a fact which very likely may have had its influence on the Canadian authorities. The stamps were printed in sheets of 100, ten rows of ten, and had eight marginal imprints, two on each side. The imprint reads, "Rawdon, Wright, Hatch & Edson, New York.", in minute letters of the size known as "diamond" in the printing office, and it is placed opposite the third and eighth stamps of the horizontal or vertical row, as the case may be, but always with the bottom of the imprint next the stamps. This causes the imprints to read up on the left, down on the right, and upside down on the bottom margins of the sheets.

We have found but one item in the departmental accounts for the fiscal year 1851-2 referring to the stamps. This reads:--

Rawdon, Wright & Co., for engraving postage stamps, 31.8.2

This was doubtless simply a bill for printing, as it is altogether too small an amount to account for the engraving of three stamp dies and the making of three printing plates.

The first delivery of the stamps from the manufacturers took place on April 5, 1851, according to a valuable summary from official records, published in the _Metropolitan Philatelist_,[12] when 100,000 of the 3 pence value were received by the Canadian Government. A second lot, numbering 150,200 of the 3 pence, arrived on April 20th. The 6 pence value followed on May 2nd, to the number of 100,400; and the 12 pence two days later, on May 4th, when the only consignment ever received from the printers, numbering 51,400, was delivered.

[12] =Metropolitan Philatelist, XVII=: 83.

The paper on which the stamps were printed was a thin, tough, grayish white variety which we should probably call bond paper, but which at that time is said to have been known as bank note paper. It was doubtless handmade, and therefore varies considerably in thickness, the two extremes being usually listed as _medium_ or _ordinary_, and _very thin_ or _almost pelure_.

It has been the custom to a.s.sume that the first deliveries of the stamps were probably all upon _laid_ paper, which was borne out by dates on covers or postmarked specimens of the stamps used during the first year of issue. But by June of 1852, at least, according to Messrs. Corwin and King,[13] the stamps were beginning to appear on paper which was simply _wove_, without any trace of the laid lines, though in all other respects similar to the first supplies. Of course a minor detail of manufacture like this would have no official cognizance, so there is nothing for us to go by in determining the quant.i.ties printed on one or the other kind of paper, or the dates of issue, save for what can be gleaned from dated covers and deductions to be drawn from them. The two varieties of paper, however, have been as productive of controversy in the case of the 12 pence stamp as the peculiar expression of its value proved.

[13] =Metropolitan Philatelist, I=: 149.

But before discussing this question, let us see what we have to work on.

The first annual report of the Postmaster General, for the year ending 5th April, 1852, contains the following information concerning the new stamps:--

Postage Stamps for the pre-payment of letters of the respective values of 3d., 6d. and 1s. were procured and issued immediately after the transfer, and have been kept for sale to the public at all the princ.i.p.al Post Offices in the Province; the demand, however, has not been great, as will be seen by the following statement, and the sales of the last quarter of the year would seem to demonstrate that the use of these Stamps in pre-payment of letters, is rather diminis.h.i.+ng than gaining ground in the community. There were procured from the manufacturers, Messrs. Rawdon, Wright, Hatch & Co., of New York, during the year ended 5th April 1852:

Value.

250,200 3d. Stamps 3127 10 0 100,400 6d. Stamps 2510 0 0 51,000 1s. Stamps 2550 0 0 _______ __________ 401,600 8187 10 0

Of these have been issued to Postmasters for sale, to the same date:

Value.

217,300 3d. Stamps 2716 5 0 63,400 6d. Stamps 1585 0 0 820 1s. Stamps 41 0 0 _______ ________ 281,520 4342 5 0

The succeeding annual reports of the Postmaster General, for the years ending 31st March, 1853-6, give the following table of postage stamp statistics:--

Postage stamps issued for sale as follows:--

REPORT OF 31ST. MARCH, 1853.

3d. Stamps 6d. Stamps 1s. Stamps

On hand 5th April, 1852 32,900 37,000 50,180 Since received from Manufacturers 250,000 _________________________________ 282,900 37,000 50,180 Issued for sale during year 163,000 2,575 100 _________________________________ On hand 31st March, 1853 119,900 34,425 50,080

REPORT OF 31ST. MARCH, 1854.

Received from Manufacturers 250,000 ... ...

_________________________________ 369,900 34,425 50,080 Issued for sale during year 240,700 10,825 325 _________________________________ On hand 31st March, 1854 129,200 23,600 49,755

REPORT OF 31ST. MARCH, 1855.

Received from Manufacturers 250,000 50,000 ...

_________________________________ 379,200 73,600 49,755 Issued for sale during year 355,000 25,800 265

On hand 31st. March, 1855 24,200 47,800 49,490

REPORT OF 31ST. MARCH, 1856.

Received from Manufacturers 600,300 ... ...

_________________________________ 624,500 47,800 49,490 Issued for sale during year 368,700 38,419 ...

_________________________________ On hand 31st. March, 1856 255,800 9,381 49,490

In this annual report of 31st March, 1856, is the last account of the 12d. stamp, from which it appears that none were issued to postmasters during the fiscal year. It does not mean that none were sold or used during that period, however, for with the increasing use of stamps this was quite probable. But it is evident from the tables given that the stamp was disbursed from headquarters in very limited quant.i.ties during the four years from 1851 to 1855 only; and we are quite fortunate in being able to give the exact details of this distribution. An anonymous article was published in the _Metropolitan Philatelist_ in 1902,[14]

from which we have already quoted, that contained a "_Valuable summary of the first issue of postage stamps used in this Colony._" The statement is made that "it is taken from official records and is absolutely accurate." We quote here the information concerning the

CANADA ONE s.h.i.+LLING POSTAGE STAMP.

Total number rec'd. from Contractors 51,000 Total number issued to postmasters 1,510 ------ Balance (destroyed) 49,490

NOTE.--On May 4, 1851, the first and only consignment of the Canada 1 s.h.i.+lling postage stamp, to the number of 51,000 (value 2,550), was received by the Post Office Department, Canada, from the Contractors, Messrs. Rawdon, Wright, Hatch & Edson, New York.

The issue of this stamp began on June 14, 1851, and concluded on December 4, 1854, when the stamp was discontinued. During its issue 1510 stamps of that denomination were sent out to postmasters, leaving a balance on hand of 49,490, which, on May 1st. 1857, were, in accordance with the practice of the Department in cases of the discontinuance of stamps, destroyed. As has already been observed, there was only the one lot of this stamp received from the contractors.

DETAILS OF ISSUE.

Date of Issue. Name of Office. Name of P. M. No.

June 14, 1851 Hamilton E. Ritchie 300 Oct. 17, 1851 Chippewa W. Hepburn 100 Nov. 13, 1851 Thorold J. Keefer 20 Nov. 25, 1851 Toronto C. Berchy 200 Mar. 8, 1852 Montreal J. Porteous 200 Sept. 14, 1852 Ingersoll D. Phelan 100 Apr. 5, 1853 [15]Bytown G. W. Baker 100 Oct. 20, 1853 Sherbrooke Wm. Brooks 15 Jan. 13, 1854 Smith's Falls Jas. Shaw 50 Jan. 20, 1854 Bytown G. W. Baker 100 Feb. 8, 1854 L'Islet Ballantyne 15 Feb. 27, 1854 Ingersoll Chadwick 20 Mar. 22, 1854 Sault S. Marie Jos. Wilson 25 May 15, 1854 Port. du Fort McLaren 15 Oct. 21, 1854 Rowan Mills de Blaquiere 50 Oct. 26, 1854 Melbourne Thos. Tait 50 Oct. 27, 1854 Montreal A. La Rocque 100 Dec. 4, 1854 Smith's Falls Jas. Shaw 50 ----- Total number issued, 1,510

[14] =Metropolitan Philatelist, XVII=: 83.

[15] Now Ottawa, Capital of Dominion of Canada.

From the above it is seen that Hamilton and Montreal each received a total of 300 copies, Toronto and Bytown each 200, Ingersoll 120, Chippewa and Smith's Falls each 100, and so on down.