Postal History Corner: Recent Additions : March 2014

Kapuskasing

The Northern Tribune

A local newspaper that has since ceased publication.

Kapuskasing to Toronto, October 8, 1938
13 cents paying 3 cents forward letter rate + 10 cents registration

A view from the Kap Bowling Green

Centennial Slogans

Two philatelic exhibition covers with interesting cachets:

28th NORTHWEST
PHILATELIC
EXHIBITION
MAY 24, 25 1968

New Westminster, May 24, 1968

ESCPEX 69
PHILATELIC
EXHIBITION
MARCH 22ND

Edmonton, March 22, 1969

Commemorative Usages

1951 William Lyon Mackenzie King

Petrolia broken circles add to this usage.

Petrolia to London, September 19, 1951

4 cents domestic forward letter rate + 20 cents registration fee

1964 World Peace

Kelowna to Uusikaupunki, Finland, May 4, 1964

15 cents paying the half ounce air mail letter rate to Europe

The next two covers were sent to Australia. Multiples of the commemoratives bring life to the envelopes.

1967 Vote for Women

Montreal A.M.F to Neutral Bay, Australia July 9, 1967

50 cents paying the one ounce double weight air mail letter rate to Australia

(25 cents each half ounce)

1968 Henri Bourassa

Vernon to East Ringwood, Australia, September 23, 1968

50 cents paying the one ounce double weight air mail letter rate to Australia

(25 cents each half ounce)

First Day Covers

1950 Petroleum Industry Definitive

1952 Forestry Products Industries

Velvet was not just for Elvis paintings. The Dargis Velvatone flocked cachets are delightful creations.

1952 Red Cross

1953 Wildlife

1954 Prime Ministers

1955 Wildlife

1955 Prime Ministers

1957 Wildlife

A nice Sanders cachet for this issue. Identified and shown in the Perkins FDC handbook:

Perkins,Bruce, Canadian First Day Cover Handbook 1950 -1959, American First Day Cover Society, Fairlawn, Ohio, 1994

Mr. Perkins is a leading figure in the field whose dedicated efforts have popularized serious first day cover collecting.

1959 50th Anniversary of Flight

Phila Coin (Perkins)

1968 Voyage of the Nonsuch

1980 Lake Placid Olympics

1980 Dr. Lachappelle

Illustrated Commercial Covers

Timmins Silver Jubilee

A lovely commercial usage of the commemorative envelope tide with the "Old Home Week" slogan.

Tinmins to Hamilton, April 29, 1937

3 cents forward letter rate

Bertrand, Foucher, Bélanger Inc.

Lovely church ornaments are featured on this envelope.

Montreal to Lyons, France, February 10, 1940

3 cents preferential surface letter rate to France

Saskatoon Brewing Company Limited

Colour adds so much to a cover.

Saskatoon to Herrsching, U.S. Occupied Zone Germany, February 25, 1947

15 cents air mail rate for the 1st quarter ounce

Woolings Forest Products

Englehart to Sudbury, December 6, 1952

4 cents domestic forward letter rate

Sinclair and Stewart, Limited, General Merchants

Summerside.P.E.I., to Kitchener, July 9, 1944

4 cents forward letter rate

Bieber Motors

Coloured cachets are not often seen on Karsh period covers.

Rolling Hills, Alberta, to Kitchener

4 cents domestic forward letter rate

Connors Bros. Limited

Black Harbour, May 5, 1956

5 cents forward letter rate

Riley and McCormick Ltd.

Calgary to St. Louis, Mo., March 9, 1966

7 cents air mail rate to the United States for the first ounce

Stirling Fruit Farms, Ltd.

Wolfville to Kentville, June 19, 1980

17 cents domestic letter rate for 1 ounce

Barrel Cancellations

Vancouver and Montreal British and Foreign Registration.

This September 1957 registered cover from Vancouver to Copenhagen has Vancouver and Montreal barrel backstamps. The Montreal cancel is interesting because the August indicium VIII was not advanced to IX for September.

Vancouver to Copenhagen, October 17, 1957

15 cents air mail rate + 20 cents registration fee

Vancouver, October 17, 1957

Montreal British and Foreign Registration

Incorrect month: VIII instead of IX

Halifax 1955

This 1955 cover below from Windsor, N.S., to Toronto was deposited in the letter box on the Halifax-bound train. Upon arrival in the Halifax, the lettter was taken out of the box and the post office applied the "THIS MAIL WAS CARRIED IN TRAVELLING LETTER BOX TO HALIFAX, N.S" and cancelled the stamp with the Halifax barrel.

Windsor to Toronto, December 17, 1955

Halifax, December 17, 1955

Halifax 1961

Halifax to Ebingen, Germany, APril 10, 1961

15 cents air mail letter rate to Europe

Centennials

International Surface Post Card : November 1, 1968 - June 30, 1971

The card below illustrates two applications of UPU regulations. Air mail service was requested (etiquette) for this card to Italy but the 10 cents rate was shortpaid. Air conveyance was only given if 75 % of the air mail fee was prepaid, otherwise the card would be sent by ship. Only 60 % of the air mail fee was prepaid so the card was sent by surface mail. The instructional handstamp provided information to account for the slow travel time.

Since the surface post card rate to non-preferred UPU destinations,in effect from November 1, 1968 to June 30, 1971, was 7 cents the card was underpaid 1 cent. Canada Post Office correctly taxed the card 2/10 : 2 cents double deficiency/12 cents international letter rate.

Canada Post Office taxe fraction

Toronto to Pavie, Italy, May 28, 1969

Shortpaid for air transmission and sent by surface at the 7 cent post card rate

Shortpaid 1 cent and taxed 2/12

No indication that the Italian Post Office charged the addressee

Civilianized Military Stations in Canada

This cover was mailed from the Canadian Forces Station Mont Apica, Quebec.

Mont Apica to Fort Worth, February 21, 1969

10 cents air mail letter rate to the United States

Uprated and Registered Aerogramme from Anticosti Island

Registered aerogrammes are not commonly found. This one was mailed by a student enrolled in a correspondence course who had not received any feedback for the first five assignments and wanted to receive some idea how she was doing. The urgency and importance of the message prompted the sender to send the aerogramme by registered mail.

The aerogramme rate had increased from 10 cents to 15 cents on July 1, 1971. The old 10 cent aerogrammes continued to be used but required a 5 cents uprate.

A final interesting aspect to this mailing is that it was sent from Anticosti Island, off the Gaspé peninsula. Although Anticosti Island is the 90th largest island in the world there are only about 300 inhabitants. More on Anticosti in a future post.

Port Menier, Anticosti Island, to Paris, March 20, 1972

10 cents aerogramme uprated to 15 cents + 50 cents registration fee

International Surface Printed Matter

The 8 cents international surface printed matter rate for the first ounce was introduced on July 1, 1972

Toronto to Turjankatu, Finland, November 18, 1973

8 cents printed matter rate

Admiral Issue

Domestic Letter Rate : 1915 - 1926

The domestic letter rate was 3 cents for the first ounce (2 cents postage + 1 cent War Tax), and 2 cents for each additional ounce. A rate not often seen is the 9 cent four oz. rate shown below.

Vancouver to Montreal, Febraury 23, 1925

9 cents paying the 4 ounce letter rate : 3 cents for the 1st ounce and 6 cents for the next 3 ounces at 2 cents each added ounce

9 cents paying the 4 ounce letter rate

Wilding

Registered to the United States

Ottawa to New Bedford, Mass., June 25, 1959

46 cents paying the 8 ounce registered letter rate to the United States

Official "G" overprint stamps used by the Royal Canadian Mint

46 cents paying the 8 ounce registered letter rate to the United States

Cameo

Returned Undeliverable Third Class Mail

Undeliverable third class mail with a return address was returned to the sender and charged the amount of the third class postage. The 2 cents third class mail rate for the first two ounce was increased to 3 cents on April 1, 1964.

The above printed matter franked with a 2 cent Cameo definitive stamp was mailed from Simcoe to Hamilton on February 13, 1964. Since there was no such Rural Route in Hamilton, the cover was returned to the sender and charged 2 cents for this service.

The 2 cents return charge was paid with a 2 cent Cameo definitive stamp, postmarked Simcoe, February 15, 1964.

2 cents paying the return charge

Simcoe, February 15, 1964

Parliamentary Free Mail

17th Parliament: Sept. 8, 1930 - August 14, 1935

The cover below from Edgar Rhodes, the Minister of Finance Ottawa, received an Ottawa machine free cancellation, September 29, 1934.

Edgar Nelson Rhodes was the Conservative Member of Parliament for Richmond-West Cape Breton, N.S.and served as Minister of Finance from 1932 to 1935

Edgar Nelson Rhodes

George VI Wilding Period

International Air Mail

The air mail letter rate to Europe was 15 cents for each quarter ounce ( 7 g). Although there were no Canadian taxe markings, the Dutch post office charged the addressee 120 cents because at 10 g, this was a 2nd weight step letter.

Terrace, B.C, to s'Gravenhage, January 26, 1952

15 cents for each quarter oz.

Taxed 120 cents by Netherlands Post

Forwarding by Bank of Montreal, London

The London branches of Canadian Banks provided mail forwarding services to their clients. The cover below prepaid sent to the addressee c/o the Bank of Montreal branch, Waterloo Place, London at the 4 cents surface letter rate to Britain. The Bank redirected the letter to Berne Switzerland adding a 1/2d. stamp to make up the rate difference to Switzerland (The rate from Canada directly to Switzerland was 5 cents).

Victoria to London, March 21, 1950

4 cents surface letter rate to the United Kingdom (3cents postage + 1 cent War Tax)

Bank of Montreal perfin

Dogteam Mail

Dogteam mail was an interesting method of mail conveyance available on the north shore of the St, Lawrence River during the winter months and was authorized by the Canada Post Office from 1926 to the late 1940s. Here are covers prepared by collectors. The transit markings are fascinating.

1942

The 1942 cover shown below from Havre St. Pierre received several transit postmarks as it journeyed by dogteam.