1983 - 1995
This article summarizes the domestic Christmas letter rates and discounts offered by Canada Post from 1983 to 1995, and shows examples of stamps and envelopes required to obtain the reduced rates.
- 1983 : Canada Post, in cooperation with Gift Packaging and Greeting Card Association, introduced a reduced Christmas domestic letter rate on a trial basis in Winnipeg. The purpose of the experiment was to determine whether a postal code could be read by an Optical Code Reader (OCR) and thus speed up the handling of mail. The trial had limited success.
- 1984 : Further OCR trials were held at eight cities.
- 1985 : Canada Post offered a 2 cent discount for Christmas letters franked with a reduced rate Christmas stamp .
- 1986 : Canada Post, with the participation of the Gift Packaging and Greeting Card Association, introduced the "Greet More" program nation-wide.
- 1987 - 1995 : The Greet More program continued from 1987 to 1995.
1983 : Winnipeg Stick n Tick program
The Winnipeg Post Office sold precode self-adhesive labels , called Stick "N" Tick labels, to determine the operational effectiveness of precode postage labels and customer attitudes towards a "special" Christmas card mailing rate for greeting cards mailed to Canadian destinations.
The labels were sold in packages of 12 for $3.49 or 25 for $6.88.
Package of 12 Stick "N" Tick labels
The pictorial design of a holly wreath and candle (undenominated) appeared in the right-handcorner of the label with thick three vertical bars to the left of the design for OCR recogniton . A matrix was printed on the label on which the postal code of the addressee was to be "ticked".
Instructions were included with the package of labels:
Canadian Stamp News article describing the Winnipeg trial
Michael Warren, President of the Canada Post Corporation, reported that only 51% of cards mailed in the 1983 Winnipeg trials went through the automated equipment.
Coded Manually
Winnipeg to Burgessville (N0J 2C0)
Stick "N" Tick label paying the 32 cent letter rate
The yellow vertical bars indicate that the letter was coded manually and not by an OCR.
OCR Coding
Winnipeg local correspondence (addressed to R3C 2Z1), December 21, 1983
Pink vertical lines were affixed by the OCR
1984 : Two Piece Stick "N" Tick
In 1984, Canada Post continued to experiment with labels that could be read by its OCR equipment. A two-piece Stick "N" Tick label ( stamp and postal code matrix) was introduced and sealed in packages of 12@$3.39. The undenominated labels were sold at eight post offices : Edmonton, Halifax, Hull, London, Ottawa, Quebec City, Victoria, and Winnipeg.
Two-piece Stick "N" Tick label
Package front
Instructions on back of package
OCR coding
London local mailing to N5W 1Z3, December 18, 1984
Pink vertical lines were affixed by the OCR
Manual Coding
Ottawa to Port Credit, L5G 4B3, December 22, 1984
Stick N Tick label paying the 32 cent letter rate
The yellow vertical bars indicate that the letter was coded manually and not by an OCR.
Commercial Mail
The self-adhesive postal code matrix were affixed to letters that were not greeting cards.
Edmonton to Toronto, December 14, 1984
Manual coding
1985 No Matrix
The Stick "N" Tick labels were not issued in 1985. Instead, the Christmas letter rate was 32 cents, two cents less than 34 cent domestic letter rate.
32 cent Christmas stamp issued to pay the 1985 discounted Christmas card rate.
A cover showing the 32 cent Christmas rate is not shown. However the cover below, franked with a 32 cent stamp, was uprated to pay the letter rate to the U.S.
St. Thomas to Fremont, N.H., November 9, 1985
32 cent domestic Christmas letter discount stamp uprated to 39 cents, the U.S. letter rate
1986 "Greet More" Program
In 1986, Canada Post introduced the "Greet More" program. A five cent reduction of postage was available to users of greeting card envelopes bearing a printed matrix on which the postal code was to be ticked, and franked with the "Greet More" stamp. The "Greet More" program was implemented annually until 1995.
29 cent "Greet More" stamp
Design on the right side of the stamp. Three vertical bars to the left of the design to activate the OCR equipment.
Toronto to Scarborough, December 18, 1986
29 cents discount rate (34 cents letter rate)
Posted After December
After the Christmas letter discount period, the denominated "Greet More" stamps could still be used on letter mail at their face value.
Milton to Welland, January 6, 1987
29 cent Greet More stamp + 5 cent stamp affixed to pay the 34 cent letter rate.
1987
The 1987 "Greet More" rate was 31 cents.
The 1987 Greet More stamp had 4 vertical bars printed to the left of the design.
Pte. Claire to Whitby, December 10, 1987
31 cents discount rate (36 cents letter rate)
1988
The 1988 "Greet More" rate was 32 cents.
Milton to Whitby, December 19, 1988
32 cents discount rate (37 cents letter rate)
1989
The 1989 Greet More rate was 33 cents.
Fort Macleod to Caledon, December 5, 1989
33 cents discount rate (38 cents letter rate)
1990
The 1990 Greet More rate was 34 cents.
Pte. Claire to Whitby, December 1, 1990
34 cents discount rate (39 cents letter rate)
1991
The 1991 Greet More rate was 35 cents.
Ponte Claire local mailing, December 1, 1991
35 cents discount rate (40 cents letter rate)
1992
The 1992 Greet More rate was 37 cents.
Toronto South Central Processing Plant (L4W 1T0) to Ottawa, December 4, 1992
1993
Bowmanville (M4L 3T0) to Oshawa, December 7, 1983
38 cents discount rate (43 cents letter rate)
1994
The Greet More rate was 40 cents. Undenominated stamps were issued.
Undenominated
St. Thomas (N5Y 1B0) to Ingersoll, December 5, 1994
40 cents discount rate (45 cents letter rate)
1995
The "Greet More" program ended in 1995
40 cents
Woodstock (N5Y 1B0) to Stratford, December 11, 1995
40 cents discount rate (45 cents letter rate)
ReferencesStreet, Mike, "1983 Stick 'n Tick Not as Successful as Canada Post Says", Topics Vol. 41, 6, pp. 40-45
"R.I.P. Stick 'n Tick", Topics, 42, 6, p.9
Ward, Kathy, "Greet More" A Report on Canada Post Corporation's 'Greet More' Program in 1986 and 1987", Topics Vol. 45, No.6, pp. 12-17
