JOURNAL OF THE CANADIAN PHILATELIC SOCIETY OF GREAT BRITAIN · 2013-01-13 · Published four times...

ISSN

0951–5283

July 2007

JJOOUURRNNAALL OOFF TTHHEECCAANNAADDIIAANN PPHHIILLAATTEELLIICC SSOOCCIIEETTYY

OOFF GGRREEAATT BBRRIITTAAIINN

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CONTENTS

Editorial 109

Admirds Covers (Part 3) 111

Stamp on the Wrong Side 131

The Story Behind the Cover (4) 135

Canada Pays it’s Dues (1) 139

Letters to the Editor 141

Society News 155

Amendments to Membership 156

Forthcoming Events 156

ii July 2007 Maple Leaves

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Maple Leaves July 2007 109

MAPLE LEAVESJournal of

THE CANADIAN PHILATELIC SOCIETY OF GREAT BRITAIN

INCORPORATED 1946

Founder:

A. E. Stephenson, FCPS

Edited by: Graham SearleRyvoan, 11 Riverside, Banchory, Aberdeenshire, AB31 6PS

Email: [email protected]

Opinions expressed in the various articles in this journal are those of the writers andare not necessarily endorsed by the Society.

Published four times a year by the Canadian Philatelic Society of Great Britain

Annual Subscription £16.00 – Due 1 October

Vol. 30 No. 3 July 2007 Whole No. 305

This issue of Maple Leaves includesthe usual annual subscription reminder. Iwould ask members to take note of someimportant changes in subscriptions thisyear. The first, and most important, is achange in contacts both in the UK andNorth America. We must offer thanks toLes Taylor in the UK and Leigh Hogg inNorth America for undertaking theseduties in recent years. The newSubscription Manager is yours truly (amoment of weakness at last yearsConvention if I recall correctly). This does,however, mean that UK members canconveniently send their subscriptionmonies in the same envelope as theirMaple Leaves articles for publication!Members in North America should directtheir subscriptions to Mike Street who haskindly offered to take over this task.Contact details for both of us are on theform and also in the box on page 124.

The second change affects our North

American members. For many years wehave offered two different subscriptionrates for those living in North America;corresponding to surface mail and air maildelivery of Maple Leaves. Recent changesin GPO mailing rates have made the cost ofsurface mail almost the same as the cost ofairmail. This coupled with the rathererratic service we have experienced withsurface mail in recent years has lead us todecide that all overseas copies of MapleLeaves will be mailed by airmail in futureand that there will, for 2007/8 onward, bejust one subscription rate for NorthAmerican members. This new rate alsoreflects the ups and downs of currencymovements and will be set at $US 34 or$CAN 39. The UK rate remains at £16.The usual discounts apply for those whopay up before 1st January 2008.

I should briefly explain how we havearrived at the above numbers. Memberswill note that the largest cost the Societyincurs is in production and mail out of this

EDITORIAL

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110 July 2007 Maple Leaves

journal. The current cost of getting MapleLeaves to overseas members isapproximately £4 per annum greater thanfor UK members (higher mailing charges).All other things being equal, therefore, theoverseas subscriptions should be set at theequivalent of £20 (approx $US 39 and$CAN 45 at today’s rates). The Committeehave, however, recognised that overseasmembers cannot access all the benefits ofmembership (e.g. Society Library,exchange packets etc) and thus believe adiscounted rate is appropriate. There is, Iregret, no more science to it than that.

Those members thinking of attendingConvention in October should hasten theirbooking forms to David Sessions to ensureyou qualify for the special rates. Details arein the box on the inside back cover. Ifanyone has lost their booking form, I doknow that David has a supply of spares, so

please ask.

I would draw members attention to theboxed item at the bottom of page 133.After many years of excellent service, badhealth is forcing our Covermart Manager,Malcolm Jones, to give up his position. Avolunteer is being sought to take over theposition. If you feel that you can help or ifyou simply want more information on whatis involved, please contact our Secretary,John Wright, without delay.

Lastly, I note that, after of period of‘plenty’, the editorial cupboard is looking alittle bare once again. I would urgemembers to send in any articles – large orsmall – for inclusion in future issues.

Happy stamping, and I hope to see asmany of you as possible in Worthing inOctober.

Wide scope of cover includingAccidental DamageExhibitions anywhere in the worldStamp Exchange ClubsTransits

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Collectors • Societies (including your own) • Study Circles

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ADMIRAL COVERS (PART 3)

The other slogan cancel that is unusualenough to merit inclusion here is thatshown in fig 40. The absence of a town-date hub on this cancel suggests that it wasused on third class mail, especially whenmailed in bulk. Presumably, this “PostagePaid at…” type marking was used only onprinted matter, commercial papers andsamples. Information such as other citiesthat used this type of cancellation, periodof use and whether it was used on otherclasses of mail matter would be welcomed.

MILITARY POSTMARKS

There are a host of military cancels tobe found on the Admiral stamps as theirperiod of use spanned World War I. Fig 41shows a circular style ‘FIELD POSTOFFICE CANADA MILITIA’ cancel.There are at least twenty camps that usedthis style of cancel and a very interestingstudy can be made of them.

One other military postmark is worthhighlighting. This is the machine slogan

The Yellow Peril Photos by Susan So

At our Convention in Renfrew in 2005, the Yellow Peril gave a display of Admiral Coversthat drew much admiration. This series of articles is based on that display. This thirdpart concludes the look at some of the unusual cancellations to be found in the Admiralera and continues with some of the special uses of the stamps and postal stationary.

Fig 40 A ‘POSTAGE PAID AT TORONTO’ machine slogan style cancellation tying a 1cent yellow to a Toronto printed matter rate cover to the USA.

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Fig 41 FIELD POST OFFICE CANADA MILITIA CAMP HUGHES MAN. There are atleast twenty camps that used this style of cancellation.

Fig 42 TORONTO DEC 29 1917 FIELD POST OFFICE – this machine slogan stylecancellation is seldom seen.

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cancel shown in fig 42. This Field PostOffice cancellation is seldom seen.

MILITARY MAIL – PRECANCELSUSED FOR REGISTRATION

Another interesting area of militarymail is shown in fig 43. After the firstworld war, the Post Office allowed theMilitia Department to use precancelledAdmiral stamps to send out thousands ofmedals to discharged soldiers – a greattime and labour saving device. Not manyof these wrappers survived so they are wellworth hunting for.

PRISONER OF WAR MAIL

A number of Prisoners of War wereinterned in Canada during the war and mailto or from these internees provides anotherfascinating group of Admiral covers. Thefirst illustration (fig 44) does not in factmerit an Admiral stamp as it is an exampleof PoW mail that was postage exempt; inthis case a letter to the International RedCross in Geneva. The second example is aninternal PoW letter franked as normal firstclass mail (fig 45).

RAILWAY POSTMARKS

There are many RPO cancels to befound on Admiral stamps and details ofthese are available in the various specialisttexts. My particular favourites are shownin figs 46 and 47; which show respectivelyan ‘END OF STEEL’ and an ‘END OFTRACK’ postmark. I have included the 2cent Edward postcard here as it is used wellwithin the Admiral period in 1913.

SQUARED CIRCLES

The use of squared circle cancels had

pretty much died out prior to the Admiralseries being issued. However, a few ofthese popular cancels can still be found onAdmiral covers. Two examples are shownbelow from Gore, Ontario and Nanaimo,B.C. (the second state) in figs 48 and 49.

Fig 43 Front and back of an August 311922 registered packet to Vancouver paidby 2 cent carmine, 5 cent violet and 10 centblue Ottawa precancelled Admirals (triplerate 3 x 2cents postage + 1 cent War Tax +10 cents registration fee).

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Fig 44 A 1917 PoW cover from Internment Camp Vernon B.C. to the International RedCross in Geneva. Postage exempted.

Fig 45 A 2 cent + 1 cent red War Tax stamp tied by a Kingston AP 4 16 cds on a PoWcover from Fort Henry to Toronto.

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Fig 46 This card, addressed to Guelph was probably posted on a train travellingwestbound from either Edmonton or Wainwright where it was cancelled “END OFSTEEL G.T.R. WEST B.C. AP 11 13”

Fig 47 A souvenir post card depicting a steamer on the Skeena River on the back;addressed to Vancouver and cancelled “ E. OF T. & P.R. R.P.O. W JUL 30 14”

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Fig 48 Gore Bay squared circle; 31st March 1919 on a registered cover to Hamilton (5cents registration, 2 cents postage, 1 cent War Tax. Paid with 5 cents blue and 3 centsbrown stamps).

Fig 49 Nanaimo squared circle, second state – 24th February 1923 on a special deliverycover to Vancouver (20 cents Special Delivery + 2 cents postage + 1 cent War Tax; allpaid with 1 cent yellow Admirals).

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SPECIAL USES

AIRMAIL

Although airmail began in Canada withthe pioneer flights prior to 1920, there wasno special charge by the post office for thisservice on a regular basis until 1928. Withvery few exceptions, all the other chargesfor domestic airmail, prior to 1928, weremade by private companies or individuals.

The 20th January 1922 flight fromHalifax to St. John’s, Newfoundland wasone of the few early flights where a specialrate of 30 cents for the flight was prepaidby Canadian stamps in addition to thenormal postage. As things turned out thefee was not wholly justified as the planewas wrecked and the mail was forwarded

by steamer! Fig 50 shows a letter carriedon this ill-fated flight.

Most early airmail was carried andcharged privately giving rise to a wealth ofsemi-official and aero club stamps whichare often seen used in conjunction withAdmirals. Fig 51 shows one of the AeroClub of Canada semi-official airmailstamps which had a 25 cent value. Fig 52shows the Estevan semi-official stampwhich cost a princely $1.

DOG TEAM MAIL

During the winter seasons, mailservices for the north shore of the St.Lawrence were performed by dog teamsalong the coast. These ran ten times duringthe winter starting at Betsiamitas. (In the1924/5 season they ran on 1st, 15th and

Fig 50 The special 30 cents rate for the flight from Halifax to St John’s Newfoundlandmade up by 1 cent, 2 cent, 3 cents, 5 cent (2) and 7 cent (2) Admirals and the normal 4 cents (3 cents postage + 1 cent War Tax) Empire rate.

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Fig 51 3 cent brown and 5 cent blue Admirals and a 25 cent ‘no numeral’ Aero Club ofCanada semi-official airmail stamp on a registered flight cover from Toronto to Ottawa,26th August 1918.

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Fig 52 10 cent blue Admiral and $1.00 Estevan semi-official stamp on a flight cover toLatvia. 1st October 1924.

Fig 53 17th December 1925 letter registered at Lourdes du Blanc Sablon. It arrived atFabourg St Jean Baptist on 16th March 1926. There it was re-addressed to Paris and a 5cent stamp applied to make up the 8 cent UPU rate. Just before re-registering the letter,the French address was changed to the Bank of Montreal, Waterloo Place in London. Theletter was redirected to the Berkeley Hotel in Piccadilly.

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29th December, 12th and 26th January, 9thand 23rd February, 9th and 23rd March and7th April). Fig 53 shows an example of thisdog team mail from December 1925.

PATRIOTIC COVERS

Quite a few Patriotic covers can befound, during the World War 1 period, withAdmiral stamps. The example shown in fig54 shows the Maple Leaf – PatriamAmamus design and has the ‘Maple Leaf’song on the back. It is interesting for asecond reason. It is overpaid by 1 cent asthe 3 cent rate (2 cents plus 1 cent WarTax) did not come into effect until 15thApril 1915. This cover sent one day earliershows the new War Tax stamp cancelledone day before its’ official date of issue.

THE 1⁄2 CENT BUSINESS REPLYCARD RATE

Most readers will be aware that no 1⁄2cent denomination of stamp was everissued in the Admiral series. There was,however, a 1⁄2 cent rate. This was thebusiness reply card rate which commencedin April 1924. Special Business ReplyPostal Stationery Cards, prepaid 1⁄2 centpostage were issued by the Department tobe sent out as enclosures with printedmatter, sent in quantity and addressed toplaces in Canada.

The 1⁄2 cent Business Reply Card andthe 11⁄2 cent Double Reply Card were issuedin order to allow businesses to send outthese prepaid reply cards to prospectivecustomers without incurring too great aloss owing to the small percentage of suchcards actually likely to be used. They weremailed out in lots of 1000 or more and

Fig 54 This colourful patriotic cover is over-paid 1 cent as the 3 cent rate (including WarTax) was not in effect until the following day; 15th April 1915.

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Fig 55 A 1⁄2 cent Business Reply Card – precancelled.

Canadian Philatelic Societyof Great Britain

Annual subscription, due on 1 October 2007, £16.00‡, payable to the Society,to: Graham Searle, Subscription Manager. 11 Riverside, Banchory, AB31 6PS.

The dollar equivalents are $39CANor $34 US, both for airmail delivery.

‡Members may claim a subscription discount of £3.00 (or $ equivalent)if payment is made before 1 January following.

It would help the Society considerably if Canadian and US memberspay in $CAN / US via Mike Street as we are liable to a bank handling

charge of £6. Please make your cheque payable to the Society,his address is 73 Hatton Drive, Ancaster, Ontario, Canada L9G 2H5.

Members who have not paid the current year’s subscription by 30 Aprilwill be removed from the Maple Leaves circulation list.

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could only be used to prospectivecustomers; not for existing or regularcustomers. Given their use, it is no surprisethat few of these cards have survived. Figs55 and 56 show an example of the 1⁄2 centBusiness Reply Card – precancelled. Figs57 and 58 show examples of the 11⁄2 centDouble Reply Card.

REGISTERED MAIL

Collectors of registered covers willfind a wealth of material in the Admiralera. Several rate changes, both up anddown, provide a bewildering array of rates

Fig 57 The 1⁄2 cent blue portion of the 1 1⁄2cent double reply card.

Fig 58 The 1 cent orange precancelledpart of the double reply card.

Fig 56 The reverse side of the above card.

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and the covers illustrated here only touchthe surface of a complex area.

The first cover (fig 59) is both aregistered letter and an RPO item. It showsthe 5 cent registration rate which appliedfrom 1912 until July 1920. Although thecover was registered at Hunt’s Point, NovaScotia, the stamps are cancelled by an RPOpostmark.

The second cover (fig 60) shows a rareexample of free registration. During theApril 1916 – April 1917 censorship period,any first class unregistered letter that wasfound to contain something of value in theenvelope was registered, at the place ofcensor, at no charge to the sender or to theaddressee. The registration fee was

absorbed by the Post Office or theGovernment.

Fig 61 shows another unusualregistered item. The sender had tried to paythe registration fee on this letter with a 5cent Inland Revenue War Tax stamp. Asthe revenue stamp was not valid forpostage, the letter was rated and taxed 5cents. The registration fee ended up beingpaid by five 1 cent postage due stamps. Inreality, this was not a bad deal as the lettercould have been charged 10 cents – doublethe deficient amount.

Figs 62 and 63 shows a rarely seenregistered picture postcard. Although thisis slightly outside the Admiral period(1931), I have included it as it is frankedwith a 3 cent red Admiral.

TO BE CONTINUED

Fig 59 3rd April 1920 registered cover (5 cents registration, 2 cents postage + 1 cent WarTax. The stamps are cancelled by the “HALIFAX & S.W. RY R.P.O.”

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Fig 61 The registration fee on this domestic letter was paid by a revenue stamp, invalidfor postage. The letter was rated and taxed 5 cents, paid by five 1 cent postage duestamps.

Fig 60 This New Westminster letter to New Haven Conn. was posted on 17th April 1916.It was censored and registered at Vancouver.

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Fig 63 Reverse of the above card.

Fig 62 2nd February 1931 registered picture postcard to France. The 14 cent rate (10cents registration plus 4 cent UPU rate) was paid with a 10 cent ‘Library’, 3 cent redAdmiral and 1 cent green Arch stamp.

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STAMP ON THE WRONG SIDE – THEREFORE

UNPAID

L.D. (Mac) McConnell

Some while ago (ML, April 1997) yourEditor’s predecessor was sufficientlydesperate for articles as to publish one withidle thoughts on the 1907 effect of UPUdirectives. The particular regulation citedrequired the despatching administration tochange from marking single deficiency todouble deficiency on outgoing short-paidmail.

Interpreting postal regulations canbecome a trip into a mini-minefield and aserious hazard to mental well-being. Take,for instance, the innocuous 1906 picturepostcard shown below in figs 1 and 2. Sentfrom Ottawa to a UK address, it has a 2cent King Edward VII stamp – the correctrate, unchanged for many years but has

sufficient other markings to require theaddressee to pay 2d (= 4 cents) postagedue.

Canadian PO Departmental Order No20 came into effect on 1st January 1877and fixed a postcard rate to the UK at 2cents, well ahead of the UPU directive of1st August 1878. This rate remainedunchanged until the War Tax imposition of15th April 1915. So, our card was notaffected by any recent rate changes.

Private postcards were authorised bythe UPU at the 1897 WashingtonCongress. A restriction precluded anywriting other than the address on the frontof the card. This was not relaxed until 1stOctober 1907. However, a separate, non-

Fig 1. Front Ottawa FE/10/06 showing postage due markings

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Fig 2. Back Un-cancelled 2 cent stamp

UPU, agreement of December 1903between Canada and the UK alloweddivided back cards to pass without penaltybetween the two countries. Thus thepostage due imposed was not in responseto any infringement here.

Until September 1898, unpaidpostcards were treated as unpaid letters butArticle V of the 1897 WashingtonCongress said that these were now to becharged at double the postcard rate only.The fine on our card certainly accords withthat ruling.

The Canadian Postal Guide of October1897 was specific in that it required allpostal markings to be confined to theaddress side only. The reason given was toprevent any impairment of the message onthe reverse (a very considerate andlaudable reason!)

This instruction ruled out anycancelling of a stamp stuck on the pictureside. Because the stamp could not becancelled, it was therefore deemedunusable and thus invalid. UPU regulationsrequired an invalid stamp to be indicatedby a cipher (O) placed alongside, but thiswould also have breached the ‘no markingon the message side’ ruling.

The Canadian PO had no other courseavailable than to ignore the 2 cent stampplaced on the picture side and treat the cardas an unpaid item. The rest of the story isobvious.

Now, if you, dear reader, have thoughtthat this story of regulations andinstructions is complex and confusing, so,apparently did the staff in post offices.

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Figs 3 and 4 below show a similarpostcard sent from Montreal in April 1906.The card was directed, via New York, to aMadame Mariso in Montevideo, Uruguay.

In this case, the divided back restrictionwas strictly observed but the postage stampon the picture (message) side was dulycancelled despite the PO Regulations. Thiscard reached Montevideo unchallenged on4th May 1906.

Less than two months separate thesetwo cards but the treatment differs verysignificantly. Was there a change ofregulations causing this?

The 1906 Rome Congress of the UPUswept away these restrictions and from 1stOctober 1907, divided back cards withstamps on the message side could bepostmarked with impunity and passedthrough the international mails. The‘maximum’ card would be born and muchof the fun would fade from ‘modern’ postalhistory. Shame!

Fig 3. Montreal AP6/06 with stamp cancelled on the picture side

VOLUNTEER WANTEDThe Society is looking for a volunteer to take up the position of Covermart Organiser.

The Covermart service allows members to buy and sell ‘non-stamp’ items (covers,postal stationery etc). It also helps to raise some income for the Society.

If you are able to give up a small amount of time to undertake this job or would simplylike some more details of what it involves, please contact the Secretary, John Wright

as soon as possible (contact details inside back cover).

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Fig 4. Delivered Montevideo, May 4th without penalty

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THE STORY BEHIND THE COVER (4)

Graham Searle

The cover below was one of the firststampless covers I can recall buying manyyears ago. It was bought for no specificphilatelic reason but simply because itlooked good (I have since discovered thatthis is not a wholly bad basis for acquiringthese old covers!) It had also once been inthe collection of Dr. Fred Stulberg and Ireckoned that anything good enough forhim was more than OK for my fledglingcollection.

What made it such a “good looker” willnot be fully apparent in black and white.The front carries three different earlycircular date stamps from Queenston,Toronto and Montreal; and they are allthree in different colours, green, black andred respectively. The City of Toronto markis, incidentally, the first to carry the name

Toronto after the town of York wasrenamed. Add to this the fact that the letterwas forwarded and it clearly carries someinterest.

The letter was originally sent fromQueenston to Toronto on 4th August 1838.It was routed across Lake Ontario as therate (41⁄2 pence Currency) was lower thanthat which would have applied had it gonevia the longer road route. Unfortunately,the addressee had moved on to WilliamHenry in Lower Canada by the time theletter arrived in Toronto. It was forwarded,the original rate of ‘Paid 41⁄2’ was crossedthrough and a new rate of 1 shilling and 2pence Currency (‘1/2’ for a distance of 301to 400 miles) was applied; to be collectedfrom the addressee.

Fig 1. Folded lettersheet sent from Queenston to Toronto and forwarded to WilliamHenry L.C., 4th August 1838.

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The real interest, however, is theaddressee himself. This is one Sir JohnColborne. Colborne had a full andinteresting life. He was born at Lyndhurstin Hampshire on 16th February 1778, theonly son of Samuel Colborne. He enteredthe British army as an ensign in the 20thRegiment in 1794 and fought throughoutthe Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.At the battle of Waterloo, where hecommanded the 52nd Regiment, he waschiefly responsible for the defeat and routof Napolean’s Old Guard. In 1825 he wasappointed lieutenant-governor ofGuernsey, and in 1829 lieutenant-governorof Upper Canada. He administered theaffairs of Upper Canada with a good dealof prudence under several colonialsecretaries until, in 1836, he was allowedto retire. In 1835, however, he had beenappointed Commander-in Chief of allBritish forces in Canada and thus, despitehis ‘retirement’ from colonial office, it fellto him to deal with the rebellions of 1837and 1838 in Canada.

These rebellions were armed uprisingsthat took place in Upper Canada and LowerCanada in 1837 and 1838. Many residentsdemanded change to their system ofgovernance, which gave a great deal ofpower to the small ruling elites in Upperand Lower Canada. Calls were made byreformers to make the executiveaccountable to the elected legislature.These calls for change were ignored by thegovernment; thereby instigating therebellions. The rebellions subsequently ledto the two Canadas being united into onecolony and the introduction of responsiblegovernment.

We can, thus, see why he was movingabout the country so much in 1838 that hismail had to follow him around.

Colborne was no friend of Quebec (orLower Canada as it then was). For a long

time after the rebellions he was knownthere as ‘le vieux brulot’ – the oldfirebreather – in recognition of the manyfarms of suspected patriots that werevengefully burned by his troops.

The British rewarded him for hisefforts, however, and in 1839 he becamegovernor-in chief of British North Americaa post he held for less than a year as he wasraised to the peerage and became BaronSeaton.

Later in life he became Lord HighCommissioner of the Ionian Islands andfrom 1855 to 1860 he was commander-in-chief of the forces in Ireland, with the rankof general. In 1860 he retired for a secondtime, at the age of 82, and was promoted tobe a Field Marshall. He died in Torquay,Devon in 1863 and a memorial to himstands, to this day, in Winchester.

Fig 2. Statue to John Colborne inWinchester, Hampshire.

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CANADA PAYS ITS DUES (1) -

THE ONE CENT POSTAGE DUE RATE

David F. Sessions, FRPSL, FRPSC, FCPS

In my younger days, guided by the generaldictum that unpaid or short paid mailattracted postage due at double thedeficiency, I occasionally wondered at thejustification for a 1 cent postage duestamp. In more recent times, the study ofthe 1930 ‘Arch’ series has brought me theanswer.

Of course, the basic ‘double thedeficiency’ rule was originally laid downby the UPU in relation to Internationalmail but many countries followed it fordomestic purposes as well and Canada wasno exception.

The 1934 cover from Montreal,illustrated below in fig 1, is correctlystamped 1 cent for printed matter, so therewas no deficiency. However, the addresseehad moved on and the missive was returnedto sender, as instructed at upper left on theenvelope. The charge for so doing was asingle rate, in this case 1 cent. Receipt ofpayment is evidenced by the 1 cent postagedue stamp.

Within Canada, a letter that is deliveredfrom the post office at which it is collectedis referred to as a ‘drop letter’ and usuallyattracts a lower rate of postage. In the earlythirties, when the domestic rate was 3

Fig 1. 1 cent postage due stamp correctly used on returned printed matter, March 1934.

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cents, the drop letter rate was 2 cents. The1934 Toronto letter shown in fig 2, startedout as a drop letter but the addressee hadmoved from Toronto to Beamsville, thusthe correct rate became 3 cents. As theletter was correctly stamped at the outset

no fine was incurred, just the additionalcharge of 1 cent. In this instance, it hasbeen, unusually, acknowledged by a 1 centpostage stamp as opposed to a 1 centpostage due stamp.

Fig 2. 1 cent postage due incurred by a redirected drop letter and paid by a 1 centMedallion postage stamp.

LOOKING FOR POSTAL HISTORY?

THEN VISITwww.canadacovers.ca

FOR THE BEST IN CANADA AND NEWFOUNDLAND

COVERS AND CARDS

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Derrick Avery

MONTREAL SPLIT CIRCLECANCELLATION

With reference to Sandy Mackie’squery (Maple Leaves Jan 2007), re.Montreal split circle cancellations withoutthe year date. I can’t provide an exactanswer to the query but I can narrow theperiod down somewhat.

The United Kingdom postcard with theimprint shown was issued in 1877 and theUPU post card with the same imprint wasissued in 1879.

I have a similar datestamp used as anarrival mark at 10AM OC 3 on a 1 centpostal stationery post card fromPRESCOTT postmarked PM OC 2 87.

Montreal duplex cancellations showingthe exact hours, e.g. 6PM, but without theyear appeared in 1880 and cancellationsshowing the year appeared in 1891;reference Smythies Duplex handbook.

I hope this may be of some interest.

John Milks

LAWRENCE STATION

Regarding the inquiry by Derrick Averyabout a Lawrence Station, Ont. postmark,my Dominion of Canada Official PostalGuide for 1899 lists a Lawrence Station inthe township of Southwold Ontario in theElgin Electoral District. The postmasterwas Chas. B. Campbell.

There was no Lawrence, Ont. postoffice at that time but there was aLawrence Mills in McMurric township in

the Electoral District of Muskoka andParry Sound. Neither Lawrence Mills norLawrence Station are shown on an Ontarioroad map today.

My suggestion is that the post office inquestion may be in the area of Port Elgin, onthe east shore of Lake Huron because of thereference to the Electoral District of Elgin.

Derrick Avery

1 CENT POSTCARD RATE TO THE UK

I have a number of 1 cent post cards of thelate 19th century with additional 1 centstamps applied to make up the 2 cents postcard rate to the U.K. However, the exampleillustrated below (figs 1 and 2 show frontand back) is the only such card I have seenthat made it, unpenalised, to the U.K. withno additional stamp.

It was posted at Toronto on 1st December1894 and addressed to Victoria, B.C. so the1 cent rate was initially fine. On arrival atVictoria (backstamped “NT DE 8 94”), itwas redirected to Paignton in Devon but noadditional postage was applied. It carries aVictoria dispatch mark of 10th December1894 and appears to have made it toEngland without any penalty. Is thisunusual?

Dr. J.R. Frank

BRITISH SOLDIERS LETTERS

I very much enjoyed the article on‘British Soldiers’ Letters’ by Arfken et al.(Maple Leaves 304), but would like to adda few comments.

The 2 cents Large Queen cover from

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Fig 1.

Fig 2.

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John Hales (fig 8) has been endorsed by Lt.Sir Redvers Buller Bt., who later played aprominent role in the South African War,1899 – 1902.

There are indeed some BritishSoldiers’ Letters with Small Queenfranking. The Gerald Sattin collection(Spink 5th May 2000) contained a 2 centsSmall Queen letter from A.E. Walker,Band R.I. Fusiliers from Halifax, N.S. on22nd August 1876 to Liverpool (illustratedin fig 3 below). Furthermore, Arfken mayhave overlooked that he reported a 2 centsSmall Queen cover from Berlin, Ont. ToAmritsar, India, and redirected toRawalpindi, in his excellent ‘Canada SmallQueens Era’ (page 93). Dated 2nd October1878, it is addressed to Sergeant L.H.Anderson of the 72nd Highlanders.

Seaman Domestic D. Sampson musthave been a prolific correspondent, as I canillustrate another 2 cents Small Queencover from him to the same Devenportaddress, and similarly endorsed, on 5thFebruary 1895 from Esquimault, B.C. (seefig 4). I also have a cover correctly franked

with a 5 cents Small Queen by civilian mailfrom Nanaimo, B.C. on 26th February 1895to the same address. This cover, in the samehandwriting, has no service endorsementsbut has the printed ‘H.M.S. Pheasant’ on itsflap. It makes me question whether therewas a monthly limit on the number ofletters at the Concessionary rate.

Finally, I report a cover, a couple ofmonths outside of the Concessionary rateperiod, but of considerable interest (fig 5).It is addressed to Gunner J. McAndrews,2nd Company, Royal Artillery, Citadel,Halifax City and bears hand stampsreading ‘Returned For Postage’ and ‘2’. A2 cents Imperial Penny Postagecommemorative stamp has been applied atthe Branch Dead Letter Office, Halifaxand cancelled 17th February 1899. Thecover may have been mailed locally orelsewhere before 25th December 1898 andheld up at the D.L.O. The garrison atHalifax, N.S. was an Imperial Unit beforethe commencement of the South AfricanWar, when it was replaced by a RoyalCanadian Regiment (First Contingent) onein March 1900.

Fig 3.

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Fig 4.

Fig 5.

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Ray White

NEW CENTENNIAL VARIETY?

In May of 2005, I bought two bulk lotsof Centennial plate and corner blocks,comprising over 80 sets, from Bob Lee’spenultimate auction, which included a totalof 9 sets of the 15 cents, Bylot Island, value.The primary reason for the purchase was toadd to my collection of fluorescent papervarieties. The secondary reason was to tryand locate examples of the ‘plastic flow’variety which, to this date, had eluded me,as I had not even seen a copy, never mindowned one. The resultant search wasrewarding in that I found the flaw on all 8copies in two different lower right cornerblocks, on low fluorescent flecked paper,Ottawa (OP2) tagged, PVA gum; on bothvertical marginal copies in an upper rightcorner block, paper as above; and also onboth marginal copies in an upper right andall 4 copies in a lower right corner block onlow fluorescent, flecked paper, with aWinnipeg (W2) tag and PVA gum.

Of greater interest, however, is whatappears to be a different ‘plastic flow’variety on a copy from R2/1, upper leftcorner block of plate 1 on dextrine gum.The normal plastic flow variety is acceptedas being confined to the right handcolumns of the sheet.

This new variety (illustrated in fig 6 –variety enhanced slightly so that it showsbetter. Ed) takes the form of an arc joiningup the gap in the lower section of ‘5’ and

also an angled, rippled, line, extending fromthe lower curve of the figure 1, to beneaththe 6th horizontal line to the left vertical ofthe ‘1’. Continuing my search produced afurther two upper left blocks from plate 1which show the identical variety.

The three copies of the variety I foundare on different papers. One is on plainnon-fluorescent paper and the other twoare on plain, dull fluorescent paper(although even these two differ slightly).

Whilst the normal ‘plastic flow’varieties are not, in any way, constant, this

Fig 6.

THE EXCHANGE PACKET MANAGERS

are always looking for more material.Perhaps it’s time you had a good turn out!

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new variety appears to be constant fromposition 2/1 of plate 1.

(Editors note: if this variety is, indeed,constant from plate 1, it would beinteresting to hunt for it on UL cornerblocks on PVA gum. This value is known tohave been printed from plate 1 with PVAgum but only a handful of LL plate blocksexist. The presence of this variety on an ULblock with PVA gum would potentiallyprove the stamps to be from plate 1 despitethe lack of imprint.)

The article entitled “KNOW IT ALL”by the Yellow Peril in the April issue ofMaple Leaves has provided a flurry ofresponses from members. I share a few ofthese below….

Gib Wallace

There is one definite legitimate use ofPostage Due on registered letters otherthan Business Reply. This is for registered‘drop’ letters re-directed and upgraded to

the Dominion rate (see fig 7 for anexample, albeit without postage duestamp). In this case, the 1 cent postage ratewas correct for the original address insideHamilton city. When redirected toPhiladelphia, the postage required was 2cents. Fig 8 shows a more bizarre use ofPostage Due stamps on a registered letter.The procedure for registration was to handthe letter to the postmaster who wouldaffix the correct postage and registrationfee, then cancel the stamps, issue acertificate which would have a number,also written on the cover. To ensure its safearrival, each handling office entered anumber in the registration book and on theletter. It is possible that Sevogle, a smallpost office had run out of 2 cent stampsand used a postage due stamp instead.Newcastle forwarded it, Halifax &Campbellton R.P.O. moved it andHamilton received it and delivered it. Allof the handling offices ignored the P.D.stamp, assuming it to be justified.

Fig 7.

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Mike Street

It was fun to see Figure 2 in the YellowPeril's KNOW IT ALL! article in the April2007 ML as I have a companion coverfrom the same correspondence. Nowknowing about the pair, and seeing the gapin registration numbers between the twocovers, it seems clear that the sendermailed himself a First Day Cover of eachof the stamps of the 16 September 1946Peace Issue. My cover, shown herewith(see fig 9 below), was written up in a'Cover Stories' article in the April-June2004 BNA Topics (v. 61, no. 2, p.61)because of an interesting feature which theYP also noted - only single deficiencypostage due, not double, was charged.Here's why this happened.

Section 179 of the 1944-1945 CanadaOfficial Postal Guide reads "Unpaid orinsufficiently prepaid registered articlesare subject to a tax of single the deficiencyas regards postage and registration fee. (Inthe absence of any indication to thecontrary, the intention of the sender toprepay a registration fee of 10c will beassumed.)"

This rule was still in effect when bothYP's and my covers were mailed atToronto's Adelaide St. Postal Station on 16September 1946. First class postage wasonly 4 cents at the time. How the sendergot the post office clerk to send the itemsby registered mail without asking for morepostage is a mystery. In any case, thereceiving post office at Sydenham, Ontariowas aware of the rule quoted above andcharged only the single deficiency, sixcents on YP's cover and four cents onmine. Both were cancelled in Sydenham on18 September 1946. The postage dues andunusual single deficiency charge turn whatwould be otherwise fairly common FirstDay Covers into display pieces.

Marc Eisenberg

I can show two more registered shortpaid items (see figs 10 and 11). The first isa piece of 1925 registered mail that wasshort paid 2 cents and charged doubledeficiency, noted by the ‘MORE TO PAY’handstamp. The fine was paid by two 2cent postage due stamps from the firstissue. This one is unusual in that the clerksent the registered letter out even though itwas short paid. The second is a 1931mailing which was also short paid 2 cents.The fine here was paid by a 4 cent postagedue stamp from the first issue.

Nicholas Lazenby

Once again an article by the YellowPeril in Maple Leaves prompts me to putpen to paper, this time the article ‘Know itAll!’ in the April 2007 issue. I show belowsome covers in my possession which mayadd to the subject, and may be of interest tomembers.

The first (fig 12) is a 1948 coverfranked 3 cents postage for local deliveryin Peterborough, Ontario. The only reasonI can think of for the 1 cent postage duecharge is that it was accepted withoutbeing weighed and that it was subsequentlyfound to weigh over 1 oz but under 2 ozwhich would have required a postagecharge of 4 cents. As the cover had beenaccepted by the post office only thedeficiency of 1 cent was charged.

The 1908 cover (fig 13) is precisely thetype the Yellow Peril had originallythought could not exist. What is not clear,however, is whether the charge of 4 cents isa double deficiency on a double rate coveror a single deficiency on a triple rate cover.

The 1951 cover in fig 14 and fig 15 is apuzzle. In the UK, registered covers can be

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Fig 8.

Fig 9.

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Fig 10.

Fig 11.

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taxed either a) because they were ‘postedout of course’ i.e. in a post box, or b)because they were compulsorily registered,often when ordinary letters are found to

contain coins etc. The latter does notappear to apply to this cover but I amsuspicious that the manuscript marksindicate that it was properly franked for

Fig 12.

Fig 13.

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HANDBOOKS FOR SALE

July 2007Postage & packing is extra

Obtainable from:DERRICK SCOOT

62 JACKMANS PLACE • LETCHWORTH GARDEN CITYHERTS • SG6 1RQ

Telephone: 01462 622449

Please make cheques payable to Canadian P.S. of G.B.

Imperial Penny Postage 1898 F. Fawn £37.50

Prince Edward Island Philately M. Cusworth £32.60

Plating the Canadian Xmas Map Stamp of 1898 K. Kershaw £25.00

Philatelic Fantasies of BNA D. Sessions £10.00

The Law Stamps of Yukon I. McTaggart Cowan £22.50

Strike, Courier& Local Post of the Elizabethan Era E. Covert £7.50

Slogan Postal Markings, 1912 – 1953 Period D. Rosenblat £6.00

Post Offices of New Brunswick 1783 – 1930 G. MacManus £16.00

Small Queens Re-Appraised J. Hillson £6.50

Yukon & Exploration Co. Ltd W. Topping £9.00

Fancy Cancels on Canadian Stamps 1855 – 1950 D. Lacelle £15.00

Canadian Booklets, Dotted Cover Dies 1935 – 55 P. Harris £8.50

Canadian Military Postal History Vol. 1 C. McGuire & R. Narbonne £20.50

The Canadian Revenue Stamp Catalogue E.S.J. Van Dam £11.00

Canadian Revenues:- E. Zaluski

Vol. 1 Federal Bill and Law Stamps £9.50

Vol. 2 Federal Inspection, Unemployment £9.50

Vol. 3 Federal War and Excise, Customs £9.50

Vol. 4 The Prairie Provinces £9.50

Vol. 7 B.C. & Yukon, Federal Franks, Seals £9.50

See previous advertisements for other books in stock

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registration but not handed in over thecounter. Either way, the recipient paid afine of 10 cents as a result.

The 1975 cover (fig 16) has a ‘Requestfor Additional Delivery’ label with a 25cents charge for the service. This chargehas been collected with postage dues.

Fig 14.

Fig 15.

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Fig 16.

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FROM THE PRESIDENT

Members are reminded that bookingforms for Convention should be with meby 1st August if the quoted rates are to beguaranteed. Mike Slamo is also eagerlyawaiting your competition entry forms. Iknow a deadline of 26 September seems along way off but one does tend to forgetthings (well, I do!) so best do it now.

In the last issue I mentioned that acoach trip was still to be investigated.Patrice and I have since visited the 36 acresite of the Amberley Working Museumwhich should offer something of interest toeveryone. Traditional craftsmendemonstrate their skills from pottery towalking stick making. There is a printworkshop, telecommunications exhibition,electricity hall, vintage wireless exhibition(it’s the cat’s whiskers!) and much more.Whilst there is much ground to be covered,a miniature railway and vintage busesprovide an alternative to perambulation.Whilst one always hopes for fine weatherfor such an outing, most of the centres ofinterest are under cover.

As Convention veterans are aware, it isnot mandatory to attend for the full fourdays but that is the best way to relax, lookand learn. So why not forget about thetriviality of everyday existence andconcentrate on the meaning of life for afew days? If you have not already booked,NOW is the time to do so.

David Sessions

SCOTLAND AND NORTH OFENGLAND LOCAL GROUP

Seven members from Scotland and theNorth of England gathered at theBuccleuch Arms in Moffat on Saturday14th April for our recent meeting. The new

venue proved excellent (and it’s restauranteven better!) As usual we had a varied mixof displays. Table cloths were required asJohn Hillson had brought the good stuffalong; a selection of Large Queens,including several unique items, some 8cent Small Queens and a range of RevenueStamps. Ray White brought us into themodern era with some varieties on the 15cent Centennial stamp. These included the‘plastic flow’ varieties and an unlisted, butconstant, variety which appears in the ULplate blocks. John Atkinson showed somesheets which showed the designs andstories behind the stamps; mostly of theWar Issue of 1942. Graham Searle showedsome early straight line postmarks from the1780 to 1830 period. Jim Bisset showedGeorge 6 material up to the 1946 PeaceIssue and Ken Andison showed two lots ofmaterial covering the 1991 to 1993 period.

The members present agreed to a localgroup fee of £5 per annum to cover thecosts of the venue etc. Members whonormally attend but were not able to bepresent in April are asked to note this.

The next meeting of the group will beon Saturday 3rd November, 1400hrs, at thesame venue.

Graham Searle.

SOCIETY NEWS

SOUTH WEST AND WALESMEMBERS GROUP

There will be a meeting of this group atSomerset Hall, Portishead on Sunday 12thAugust at 2 pm. (This is within the AnnualConvention of the Bristol and DistrictPhilatelic Societies). All members arewelcome. If possible, bring along a fewsheets for display.

John Crocker.

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THE POSTAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF CANADAINVITES APPLICATIONS FOR MEMBERSHIP

The Postal History Society of Canada publishes an award-winning quarterlyjournal, sponsors seminars on Canadian postal history, and awards prizes

for the best postal history exhibit at philatelic shows across Canada.

Please visit our new website at www.postalhistorycanada.org

For further information or a membership application form, please write tothe Secretary:

Stephane Cloutier255 Shakespeare Street, Ottawa, Ontario

K1L5M7, Canadaemail: [email protected]

THE CANADIAN PHILATELIC SOCIETY

OF GREAT BRITAIN 2006/7President:

David Sessions, F.R.P.S.L., F.R.P.S.C., F.C.P.S., 31 Eastergate Green, Rustington, Littlehampton, BN16 3 EN

Secretary:John Wright, 12 Milchester House, Staveley Road, Meads, Eastbourne, E. Sussex BN20 7JX

Treasurer:-John Hillson, F.C.P.S., Westerlea, 5 Annanhill, Annan, Dumfriesshire, DG12 6TN

Editor and Subscription Manager:-Graham Searle, Ryvoan, 11 Riverside, Banchory, Aberdeenshire AB31 6PS E-mail:[email protected]

Handbooks Manager:Derrick Scoot, 62 Jackmans Place, Letchworth, Herts SG6 1 RO

Librarian:Mike Slamo, 112 Poplar Avenue, Hove, East Sussex, BN3 8PS

Exchange Packet Managers:(Packet) Hugh Johnson, 27 Ridgeway Avenue, Gravesend, Kent, DA12 5BD

(Covermart) Malcolm Jones, 14 Tullis Close, Sutton Courtenay, Nr. Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4BD

Advertising and Publicity Manager:Brian Hargreaves, 87 Fordington Road, London N6 4TH

Assistant Editor:David Sessions, F.R.P.S.L., F.R.P.S.C., F.C.P.S., 31 Eastergate Green, Rustington, Littlehampton, BN16 3 EN

Maple Leaves July 2007 iii

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