Friday, October 15, 2010

1964 Christmas

Canada's first Christmas stamps were issued on October 14, 1964. Although Canada produced a stamp bearing the words "Xmas 1898" in 1898, the 1964 issues were the first Canadian postage stamps intended for use on Christmas mails.

The stamps showed a family group of a man, a woman and two children in silhouette, walking off towards a Christmas star in a typical Canadian winter scene. The design was intended to express the feeling of Christmas as a religious and family occasion, and at the same time to portray the scene in a Canadian environment. It was also meant to tie in with the study of the family's place in contemporary Canadian life which was held last summer under the sponsorship of the Governor General and Madame Vanier.
The stamps were printed tagged and untagged. A 3 cents miniature pane was also printed, tagged and untagged.




Essays



National Archives of Canada

National Archives of Canada

National Archives of Canada


National Archives of Canada

National Archives of Canada

National Archives of Canada

National Archives of Canada


Approved Model

Designer : Harvey Thomas Prosser

National Archives of Canada


First Day Covers










































Kolor Kover






Grover




Canada Post Office Publicity Cover


Canadian Post Office first day cover. The CPO used "Rosecraft" envelopes to announce the release of the Christmas stamp. This announcement was mailed to Portugal.


Tagged Stamps








Usages

Domestic Printed Matter


Vancouver to Clinton, November 20, 1964
3 cents printed matter rate


Military : NATO Forces in Europe


Air Division Headquarters, Metz, France, CFPO 109 to Vancouver, January 28, 1965