Canadian Philately - The Stamps and Postal History of Canada 1851 to Present by Brixton Chrome

Overview Today's post will deal with a very highly neglected, but very beautiful group of stamps: the second postage due issue of 1930-1932. The postage dues in general are a very neglected field, probably because of the fact that they are located far in the back of most peoples albums.  As we shall see, the five basic designs that were in use between 1906 and 1982, when postage due stamps were in use, provide an excellent basis for a challenging specialized collection that is off the beaten path. This issue is very similar to the first issue and displays an impressive range in shades for all five values in the set. Some of the values like the 1c and 2c were produced in vast numbers, while others like the 5c and 10c were produced in surprisingly low numbers. In addition to shades, there are at least two different kinds of paper and at least four different kinds of gum. Today's post will look at these in detail. This issue was printed by the British American Bank Note Com...

Today's post will look at the remaining aspects of the Medallion Issue of stamps that appeared between 1932 and 1935.   Imperforate pairs All of the stamps of this issue exist in imperforate pairs, like the one shown above. They are all extremely scarce, with only 150 being produced of the low values, 100 of the 13c and 75 of the 20c. In fact, these numbers are lower than the issues that pre-date this and are much more expensive. For this reason, I believe that they will prove to have been a very smart investment to any collector with the foresight to acquire them now, while they are less than $1,000 per pair. In fact, lightly hinged pairs of the low values can be had for as little as $350, which is a pittance for anything this scarce. The 3c value can be found in both dies 1 and 2, with the die 2 being found only as a flat plate printing, and being the rarest and most valuable of all the imperforate pairs. It currently lists in Unitrade at $3,750 in VFNH condition.  ...

The next two posts will deal with what in my opinion is one of the most overlooked of all the definitive sets: the Medallion Issue of 1932-1935. I must admit that in my early youth, I did not care much for the art-deco bas-relief designs. However, they have become far more attractive to me with the passage of time. I do think that one factor that has resulted in the series being less popular is the relatively small number of stamps in it. For some reason, the decision was made not to replace any of the high values of the previous Arch Issue, and only to reissue the Old Quebec Citadel design in the new denomination of 13c when the local registered rate increased from 12c to 13c. The result was a definitive set that consisted of only 8 basic stamps - 6 low values from 1c to 8c, the 13c Old Quebec Citadel, and the 20c special delivery stamp reissued with "Cents" replacing "Twenty Cents" in the value inscription. However, what can be a weakness to some, can also be see...

In preparing for our move to New Brunswick, we have decided that the time has come to offer a large portion of our classic stamps to collectors at significantly reduced prices.  Until November 17, 2016 all our mint hinged stamps and a few of our used and NH stamps will be offered at 25% off our regular prices. This means that a stamp that lists for $100 in Unitrade, is now priced for between $45 and $75 depending on the exact grade. Also, at the present time we are not required to charge HST on our sales. This will soon change, but for now Canadian buyers have an opportunity to acquire some very desirable stamps at substantial savings from what most dealers will charge, after HST is factored in. Also remember that we only charge once for shipping, no matter how many stamps you buy. So if you live in Canada, you pay a flat 85 cents, and anywhere else a flat $2. The store link to all our listings is given below: http://stores.ebay.ca/Pristine-Canadian-Stamps?_rdc=1 Hap...

My apologies to those of you who were checking the blog and expecting to see a post on October 10. I returned from my honeymoon in NYC on the 9th and it has been pretty crazy around here ever since. So without further delay, I will discuss the remaining aspects of these issues that were not covered in my first post. Proof Material There is a surprising amount of proof and essay material in existence for these issues. The BNA Proofs website does an excellent job of listing, describing and pricing 31 different pieces. Most are very affordable, being in the $200-$900 range. However, the die proofs are expensive, being over $1,000 each. There is a surprisingly large number of items for the 3c Jacques Cartier Issue, comprising 15 of the 24 items. The link to the BNA proofs website is: http://www.bnaproofs.com/can-imperial.html http://www.bnaproofs.com/can-medal.html The existing proof material is quite scarce, with just 1-6 examples reported of each item. The full range of ess...