Monday, November 26, 2012

Canada Official Postal Guides




 Postal history is a collecting field that is dependent upon primary sources of information. The Canada Official Postal Guides are at the top of my reference list. Until 1961,  the Guides were printed in book form, usually on an annual basis. Postmasters and postal personnel relied on the Guides and  their monthly supplements to keep up to date on Post Office regulations, postage rates and  procedures to be followed in the handling of mail.


The Canadian Official Postal Guides from 1863 to 1900 have been digitized and can be viewed at  the Library and Archives Canada online database. Unfortunately Canadian Official Postal Guides beyond 1900 have yet to be made available, but recently the Monthly Supplements from 1913 to 1932 have been added to the data base:

(Opening the PDFs takes a few minutes)

The supplements are a rich source of information and their inclusion in the database is appreciated, but it is hoped that Library and Archives Canada will be adding the Postal Guides from 1901 to 1961 to its database.

1940 Centennial of First Adhesive Postage Stamp

On May 6, 1840, Britain issued the world's first adhesive postage stamp,the "Penny Black", featuring an engraving of a young Queen Victoria.


This post shows Canadian philatelic commemoration of this historical event.

1. Hamilton

To commemorate the Penny Black's centennial, a slogan cancellation was produced for use at the Hamilton, Ontario post office on May 6, 1940.


MAY 6TH 1940
CENTENARY
OF THE
POSTAGE STAMP





2. Toronto

The Canadian Philatelic Society of Toronto used a meter commemorating the centenary of the first postage stamp

Canadian Philatelic Society, August 9, 1940



Saturday, November 24, 2012

Empress of Ireland

Canada Post Corporation issued two commemorative stamps and postal cards on May 29, 2014, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the ocean liner RMS Empress of Ireland.

Empress of Ireland, 1908




On May 29, 1914, the Canadian Pacific ocean liner Empress of Ireland sank in the St. Lawrence River near Rimouski, Quebec, following a collision with the Norwegian coal carrier, the Storstad. The ship sank within 15 minutes, claiming the lives of 1,010 of the 1,477 passengers and crew.Canadian Pacific hired a salvage company to retrieve mail and valuables. The cover shown below is an example of mail that was salvaged and forwarded.

To Bristol, England
Stamp washed away
Faint duplex cancellation
Recovered by divers handstamp in green ink

Recovered by divers from wreck of Empress of Ireland

Ottawa Dead Letter Office Handstamps

October 24, 1914

December 10, 1914

Canadian Museum Of Civilization : Empress of Ireland Exhibition 2014

The Canadian Museum of Civilization announced on October 29, 2012 that it had  acquired the most comprehensive collection of artifacts and archival material related to the sinking of RMS Empress of Ireland, and was planning an exhibition in 2014 to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the tragedy.

Bath Postal Museum

The Bath (Engalnd) Postal Museum has several Empress of Ireland covers in its collection.

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

The Niagara Falls Rocket Flight 1936


Rockets captured the public imagination in the 1930s with the launches of  experimental rockets designed to carry mail. In 1934, German rocket maker Gerhard Zucker attempted to convince the British Post Office that postal delivery by rocket was viable. After initial demonstrations on the Sussex Downs in England, rockets were launched in Scotland but exploded.  In 1936, Zucker agreed to make rocket flights in the U.S. and Canada in conjunction with the Third International Philatelic Exhibition (TIPEX) held in New York.

Niagara Falls Rocket Flights

Zucker was arrested in Germany before he could come to New York. German stamp dealer, Karl Henning, had prepared stamps, covers and cancellations for the flights which he brought to TIPEX along with the rocket launching rack. Although the Niagara Falls flight did not take place, the Henning souvenirs are colourful reminders of rocketry's pioneer era.

 





 





 










 


For more information see pages 449-450 in Air Mails of Canada and Newfoundland, American Air Mail Catalogue, 1987.

Readers may be interested in this:

1936 ZUCKER STAMPS ROCKET MAILED NEAR GANANOQUE



Friday, November 2, 2012

George V Admiral Period
1912 - 1928
The Universal Postal Union Rates

The Universal Postal Union (UPU) rates applied to all nations for which preferential rates such as those to Great Britain and the Empire were not in place. This post is organized as follows:

1. Letters
a) To September 30, 1921
b) October 1, 1921 to September 30, 1925
c) From October 1, 1925

2. Post Cards
a) To September 30, 1921
b) October 1, 1921 to September 30, 1925
c) From October 1, 1925

3. Printed Matter
a) To September 30, 1921
b) From October 1, 1921

4. Registration
a) To July 14, 1920
b) From July 15, 1920


1. Letters

a) To September 30, 1921


The UPU letter rate was 5 cents for the first ounce and 3 cents for each additional ounce.

Montreal to Schildau, Germany, January 26, 1912
5 cents UPU letter rate



Toronto to Plauen, Germany, May 28, 1912
5 cents UPU letter rate



Montreal to Leipzig, Germany, November 7, 1912
5 cents UPU letter rate



Montreal to Vohwinkel, Germany, June 13, 1913
5 cents UPU letter rate



German Consulate Winnipeg to Leipzig, October 21, 1912
5 cents UPU letter rate


German Consulate Seal



Ottawa to Peking, China, September 3, 1917
5 cents UPU letter rate



Montreal to Stockholm, October 1, 1919
5 cents UPU letter rate
Shortpaid 2 cents
Double deficiency 4 cents = 20 centimes ( 1 cent = 5 centimes)
Swedish tax 16 ore


T 20 Canadian tax marking
"Losen 16 ore" Swedish due label


The Great War

Canada entered into the war on August 6, 1914. The letter to Germany below was in transit before the war had begun.


Quebec to Nuremburg, July 25, 1914
5 cents UPU letter rate


German Army censor



Montreal to Montbellard, France, January 2, 1916
5 cents UPU letter rate


"OPENED BY MILITARY AUTHORITY" handstamp



New Brunswick to Torino, Italy, May 3, 1918
5 cents UPU letter rate


Italian censor tape


Neutral Terminal Censorship

On July 3, 1917, censorship from Canada to neutral countries that had communications with enemy nations was established. This "neutral terminal" censorship was discontinued on May 7, 1919.


Victoria to Christiannia, Norway, October 12, 1917
5 cents UPU letter rate


Canadian "neutral terminal" censorship



Ottawa to Breda, Netherlands, March 10, 1919
5 cents UPU letter rate


Canadian "neutral terminal" censorship



Niagara Falls to Rotterdam, April 16, 1921
Double weight letter : 5 cents for the 1st ounce and 3 cents for the next ounce
Shortpaid 4 cents


Double deficiency 8 cents = 40 centimes (1 cent = 5 centimes)

Netherlands tax 17 1/2 cents.


Montreal to Zurich, May 8, 1918
5c UPU letter rate
Foreign Exchange handstamp


b) October 1, 1921 to September 30, 1925

The UPU letter rate was increased from 5 cents to 10 cents for the first ounce and 5 cents for each additional ounce.


Winnipeg to Lyngby, Denmark, December 4, 1922
10 cents UPU letter rate



Toronto to s'Gravenhage, Netherlands, April 3, 1922
10 cents UPU letter rate



Montreal to St. Gall, Switzerland, December 21, 1922
10 cents UPU letter rate



Toronto to Zurich, January 18, 1924
10 cents UPU letter rate



Edmonton to Hamburg, Germany, March 22, 1924



Calgary to Yvorne, Switzerland, October 30, 1921
10 cents UPU letter rate
Shortpaid 5 cents
Double deficiency 10 cents = 50 centimes
Swiss taxation 40 Swiss centimes


c) From October 1, 1925

The UPU letter rate was reduced from 10 cents to 8 cents for the first ounce and 4 cents for each additional ounce.


Montreal to Zug, Switzerland, December 8, 1925
8 cents UPU letter rate



Montreal to Paris, February 8, 1926
8 cents UPU letter rate


Taxation of Underpaid Mail: 1925 - 1930

From 1925 to 1930, Canada Post Office reduced the tax charged on underpaid mail to UPU destinations. An article had been posted HERE to explain the reduction.


Arvida to Copenhagen, Denmark, June 12, 1926
8 cents UPU letter rate
Shortpaid 5 cents
Double deficiency 10 cents = 50 centimes (1 cent = 5 centimes)
Denmark tax 38 0re


Front Only

The front below is a significant example of Admiral postal history because it is a front! The sender of the item below to the Netherlands did not affix sufficient postage and the addressee paid a 25 cent tax. The addressee wished to be reimbursed and mailed the front to the sender proving the short payment.



Yarmouth to Haarlem, Netherlands, August 11, 1928
8 cents UPU letter rate
Shortpaid 6 cents
25 cents Dutch due



Typed on the back of the "front" :

Miss Amanda Hal., The postage to Holland is 8 cent, and as you only put a 2 cent stamp on I had to pay 25 Dutch cent to get your letter, 25 Cent Dutch is 10 cents Canadian, kindly send me 10 Cent extra when writing again.


2. Post Cards

a) To September 30, 1921

The UPU post card rate was 2 cents.



New Wesminster to Curland, Russia, March 22, 1914
2 cents UPU post card rate



Montreal to St-Mande, France, November 9, 1913
2 cent UPU post card rate



Welland to Hudiksvall, Sweden, May 7, 1914
2 cent UPU letter rate



Ottawa to Berlin, January 18, 1913
2 cents Postal Stationery card


b) October 1, 1921 to September 30, 1925

The UPU post card rate increased from 2 cents to 6 cents.


Montreal to Hamburg, December 7, 1923
6 cents UPU post card rate



"Along Line of Canadian Pacific Railway" Photographed and Copyrighted by Byron, Harmon,-Banff


Calgary and Vancouver RPO to Brussels, Belgium, October 5, 1922
6 cents UPU post card rate



Aneroid, Sask., to Herrnhut, Germany, March 18, 1922
6 cents UPU post card rate


"6 cents on 2 cents blue"



Didsburg to Yvorne, Switzerland, May 6, 1922
6 cents UPU post card rate



Halifax to Gothenburg, Sweden, July 19, 1924
6 cents UPU post card rate



Quebec to Brussels, Belgium, August 6, 1924
6 cents UPU post card rate
Shortpaid 4 cents
Canadian tax : 40 centimes
Belgian charge : 60 Belgian centimes





Hamilton Beach to Kottbus, Germany, September 23, 1923
6 cents UPU post card rate

 
c) From October 1, 1925

The UPU post card rate was reduced from 6 cents to 4 cents.


Sidney, B.C., to Helsingland, Sweden, August 13, 1926
4 cents UPU post card rate


Montreal to Zug, Switzerland, September 5, 1928
4 cents UPU post card rate



Toronto to Rome, April 19, 1927
4 cents UPU post card rate


3. Printed Matter


a) To September 30, 1921

The UPU printed matter rate was 1 cent for each 2 ounces.


Winnipeg to Amiens, France, November 23, 1916
1 cent UPU printed matter rate



Montreal to Tar, France, November 2, 1920
1 cent UPU printed matter rate


b) From October 1, 1921

The UPU printed matter rate was increased from 1 cent to 2 cents for each two ounces.



Vancouver to Keysin, Switzerland, December 23, 1926
2 cents UPU printed matter rate



Kitchener to Gera, Germany, October 25, 1926
2 cents UPU printed matter rate


4. Registration

a) To July 14, 1920


The UPU registration fee was 5 cents.



Victoria to Buso Arzizio, Italy, September 6, 1912
5 cents UPU letter rate + 5 cents registration fee



Montreal to Frankfurt, March 2, 1914
5 cents UPU letter rate + 5 cents registration fee



Galt to Wurtenburg, Germany, November 10, 1919
5 cents UPU letter rate + 5 cents registration fee


b) From July 15, 1920

The UPU registration fee was 10 cents.


Montreal to Luzerne, Switzerland, September 11, 1920
8 cent double weight letter rate ( 5 cents 1st ounce + 3 cents next ounce) + 10 cents registration fee



Halifax to Christiania, Norway, December 21, 1920


8 cent double weight letter rate ( 5 cents 1st ounce + 3 cents next ounce) + 10 cents registration fee


Montreal to Krumlov, Czechoslovakia, January 25, 1921
2 cents UPU post card rate + 10 cents registration fee




Waterloo to Dresden, Germany, July 20, 1923
10 cents UPU letter rate + 10 cents registration fee






Heffey Creek to Berne Switzerland, December 7, 1929
12 cents rate for double weight letter ( 8 cents for the 1st ounce and 4 cents for the next ounce) + 10 cents registration fee