Centennial Essays : Low Values

 On February 8, 1967, Canada Post Office issued a set of definitive stamps celebrating Canada`s centennial year. The low value denominations (1 cent to 5 cents) featured a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II  with an image of a Canadian regional scene, a different one for each denomination.

 

A look at earlier Elizabeth II definitives shows how innovative the Centennial set was.

Centennial Essays

Stamp essays provide a glimpse of how a particular stamp design came about. Fortunately, digitized images of many essays have been posted on  the Canadian Postal Archives websites permitting us to see aspects of the design process. This posting is organized as follows:

1.Queen Elizabeth with scene or other design element
2. Queen Elizabeth without scene
3. BABN Essays
4. Harvey Prosser Essays
a) Queen Elizabeth with flag
b) Queen Elizabeth with Canadian regions


1. Queen Elizabeth with scene or other design element

The essays in this section show different images of the Queen.

 Queen Elizabeth II, shown with a fishing boat

Image of boat, denomination and typography sketched in charcoal, with gouache retouch on denomination. Image shows typographic layout: 2¢.

 
 Queen Elizabeth II, with a view of Niagara Falls

Printed portrait with background scene, typography and denomination drawn in charcoal. Image (8.5 x 10.3 cm) shows typographic layout: 3¢.

Queen Elizabeth II, shown with a lakeshore view

  Printed portrait on card within penciled frame. Lakeshore scene, typography and denomination drawin in pencil on a tracing paper overlay hinged with tape to card support. Image (8.5 x 10.3 cm) shows typographic layout: 4¢.

 Queen Elizabeth II, shown with a map of Canada

 Printed portrait and map image with background in watercolour, typography and denomination in gouache. Image shows typographic layout: 5¢.


 Queen Elizabeth II, shown with a conifer branch

Print of portrait with branch, typography and denomination added in pencil. Image (8.5 x 10.3 cm) shows typographic layout: 5¢.

Queen Elizabeth, shown with skyscrapers

 Photomechanical portrait image mounted on card support, with buildings, typography and denomination added in watercolour and gouache to card. Image (8.5 x 10.3 cm) shows typographic layout: 5¢.

Queen Elizabeth II shown with maple leaves

Maple leaves, background and typography in watercolour. Denomination added in gouache. Image shows typographic layout: 2¢.

2. Queen Elizabeth without scene

This is a traditional design for low-value definitives.

 

 

 


 

 

2. British American Bank Note Company (BABN) Essays

The BABN prepared watercolour essays which are dated September 30, 1965. The artist was not identified.

  Queen Elizabeth II, shown with the Peace Tower

The First 100 Years

 

Queen Elizabeth II

 

 4. Harvey Prosser Essays

a) Queen Elizabeth with Canadian Flag 

 Printed portrait with flag in watercolour and denomination in gouache painted on card support. Image (10.7 x 12.4 cm) shows typographic layout: 5¢. Mounted on card with wrapper with a set of 5 printed colour miniatures in the bottom margin.

 


b) Queen Elizabeth with Views of Canadian Regions

 Queen Elizabeth II, shown with a view of the Northern regions

Queen Elizabeth II, shown with a view of the Pacific Coast

 Queen Elizabeth II, shown with a view of a prairie scene
 


  Queen Elizabeth II, shown with a view of the mid-Canada seaway





Queen Elizabeth II, shown with a view of the Atlantic Coast- Rocher Percé

 Queen Elizabeth II, shown with a view of the Atlantic Coast (Lighthouse and Lobster pod)

(similar to approved model)

Approved Models

Prosser`s regions designs were approved for the stamp issue. 1 cent to 3 cent views shown above were redone before approval.

Approved January 6, 1966

Approved November 1, 1966

Approved November 5, 1965

 

Approved October 28, 1965

Approved October 18, 1965