1955 Wildlife Series

4 cents Musk Ox
5 cents Whooping Crane


The 1955 Wildlife Series set was issued on April 4, 1955, featuring the Musk Ox on the 4 cent stamp and the endangered Whooping Crane on the 5 cent denomination.

4 cent Musk Ox

The 4 cent Musk Ox stamp was described by the Post Office press release as follows:

The 4¢ stamp illustrates the head of a Musk-ox. This stamp was designed by Emanuel Hahn, R.C.S., of Toronto. Musk-oxen are now limited to a few small herds on the mainland and islands of the Northwest Territories and are totally protected by the regulations of the Northwest Territories game authorities.

Essays

National Archives of Canada

National Archives of Canada

National Archives of Canada

National Archives of Canada

5 cent Whooping Crane

The Canada Post Office press release described the Whooping Crane stamp as follows:

The 5¢ stamp is blue in colour and illustrates two Whooping Cranes in flight. This stamp was designed by Dr. William Rowan, F.R.S.C., a zoologist of Edmonton, Alberta. These splendid birds existed in fair numbers a century ago but have been reduced to a known 21 birds. Their nesting grounds in Northern Canada are unknown. They migrate south each autumn and winter in Texas.

Sketches

National Archives of Canada

National Archives of Canada

National Archives of Canada

National Archives of Canada

National Archives of Canada

National Archives of Canada

Essays

National Archives of Canada

The accepted model of whooping cranes in flight was based on the photograph below:

National Archives of Canada

National Archives of Canada

National Archives of Canada

Progressive Die Proofs

National Archives of Canada

National Archives of Canada

First Day Covers




































Events


The Last Train over Grand River April 23, 1955


Usages

Domestic Local Letter


Montreal local registered letter,May 20, 1955
4 cents local postage + 20 cents registration fee


Domestic forward letter


Prince Rupert to Vancouver, April 20, 1955
Triple weight registered letter
11 cents forward 3 ounce letter rate + 20 cents registration (1 cent overpayment)


Domestic Forward Letter


Montreal and Toronto RPO, to St. Thomas, June 26, 1955
5 cents domestic forward letter rate


Domestic registered forward letter


Hantsport, N.S., to Toronto, May 19 1955
5 cents forward postage + 20 cents registration fee


US Surface Letter


Montreal to Chicago, December 1, 1955
5 cents US surface letter rate


UPU Surface Letter


Toronto to Lucerne, April 8, 1955
6 cents UPU surface letter rate
Shortpaid 1 cent and taxed the minimum 10 centimes (gold)
Swiss tax 10 centimes (Swiss)


International Air Mail


Niagara Falls to Amsterdam, May 23, 1955
15 cents air mail rate to Europe


Montreal to Bratislava, April 2 , 1955
15 cents one-half ounce air mail rate to Europe
Opened for currency control inspection and re-sealed





Toronto to Ascona, Switzerland, April 26, 1955 (Redirected to Munich, Germany)
Prepaid 40 cents : 30 cents air mail (1 ounce) to Europe + 10 cents special delivery
Special Delivery service was not available from Canada to Switzerland


Military

The air mail Forces Letter rate was 5 cents.


Vernon to CAPO 5000, Seoul Korea, May 7, 1955
5 cents Forces Letter Rate
The addressee had returned home and the letter was redirected.

The sender writes:

Hi Honey,

Just a few lines to say hello + hope you are fine + on your way home. Pretty soon its going to be two years since you left for Korea...


CAPO 5000 cds


CAPO 5000 Postal Tracking Station
May 13, 1955

1955 Inuit Hunter

On February 21, 1955, the 10 cent Inuit Hunter stamp was issued to replace the 1950 10 cent Fur Resources definitive.

The Canada Post Office provided the following description in its press release:

The new 10¢ postage stamp was designed by Harold Beament, Montreal, and the stamps were engraved by the Canadian Bank Note Company, Ottawa. The Eskimo and his kayak represents the life of Canada's most northern citizens; possibly they are also Canada's oldest citizens though they have been among the least known. This stamp is a tribute to the remarkable people of our last frontier.

The sketch below drawn by Jim Huston was used by stamp designer Harold Beament.

National Archives of Canada

National Archives of Canada

Drawn by Harold Beaument

Essays

National Archives of Canada

National Archives of Canada

First Day Covers























Usages

I have selected single usages for this posting.
(Most of the usages below have been shown in previous postings)


Domestic Special Delivery

Local Special Delivery letter from Hamilton, December 31, 1958
10 cents special delivery fee



Special Delivery letter from James M. MacDonnell, Minister Without Porfolio, to Toronto, July 23, 1958

Free postage + 10 cents special delivery fee


Domestic Acknowledgment of Receipt


Mail from Montreal to Ottawa, February 28 1966
Acknowledged at Ottawa, March 1, 1966


International Air Mail Letter


Toronto to Sousfriere, St. Lucia, November 21 1957
10 cents air mail rate to the West Indies



Montreal to Buenos Aires, Argentina, July 3, 1962
10 cents air mail rate to South America


Air Mail Post Card Rate to all Destinations

On January 1, 1966 the air mail post card rate to all international destinations was 10 cents.


Toronto to Loureco Marques, Mozambique, September 9, 1966
10 cent air mail post card rate
The air mail post card rate prior to January 1, 1966 was 25 cents


Other Articles Air Mail


Toronto to London, December 19, 1966
Air Mail printed matter (Other Articles) 10 cents for each ounce


UPU Surface Letter Rate

On January 1, the UPU surface letter rate was increased from 6 cents to 10 cents.


Winnipeg to Okinawa, Japan, July 8, 1966
10 cents UPU surface letter rate


International Acknowledgment of Receipt


Montreal Airport to Paris, June 21, 1965
Received by addressee on June 22, 1965

10 cents AR fee at time of despatch

1954 Prime Ministers Series
4 cents John Thompson
5 cents Mackenzie Bowell

The third set in the Prime Ministers Series was issued on November 1, 1954 to honour John Thompson and Mackenzie Bowell.

The stamps were designed by Herman Herbert Schwartz from photographs supplied by the Public Archives of Canada.

John Thompson

National Archives of Canada

National Archives of Canada

Mackenzie Bowell

National Archives of Canada

National Archives of Canada

The denomination of the issued stamp was 5 cents

First Day Covers

The London Assurance

Usages

Domestic Post Card Rate


St. John's Newfoundland to Lewisville, N.B., July 15, 1955
4 cents domestic post card rate


RMS "Nova Scotia", Furness Warren Line, Liverpool was built in 1947 and worked on the Liverpool - St. John's - Halifax - Boston run until 1962.

The sender of the post card writes that the ship docked at St. John's that morning, passing some icebergs in the night.


Domestic Forward Letter


Vancouver to Kelowna, December 8, 1954


US Surface Letter


Vancouver to Tampa, November 16, 1954
5 cents US surface letter rate


International Preferred Surface Letter


Medicine Hat to London, November 29, 1954
5 cents preferred surface letter rate to Great Britain

International Air Mail


Westbridge, B.C., to Porjus, Sweden, December 20, 1954
15 cents one-half ounce air mail rate to Europe