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

Anyone who is involved in this hobby for any significant length of time will no doubt have either encountered the perception that the only stamps worthy of serious study or collection are those issued before World War II, or they hold that belief themselves. However, it is my belief that while classic stamps are undoubtedly very appealing and beautiful, collectors who eschew modern material are limiting themselves quite significantly. Of course, if as a collector you simply do not like modern stamps, then there is no reason to collect them. However, I think that it always makes sense to periodically examine one's beliefs and fully understand what drives our perceptions and beliefs. The very process of doing this can result in those perceptions and beliefs changing and opening up new possibilities and opportunities for us in general. Doing this with our collecting can open up enjoyable avenues that before would have gone unconsidered. Today's post has been inspired by observa...

Today's post continues my discussion of the Cameo issue, and will explore the following aspects of this issue: Plate blocks. Booklet panes and complete booklets. Cello paqs and miniature panes. Coil stamps. Official stamps. Plate Blocks Inscription Blocks This is the first issue printed by the Canadian Bank Note Company in many years for which no order numbers appear on any block, nor do any position dots appear on any of the plate blocks that I have seen. However, I have come across blank blocks of the 5c that occasionally show a position dot in the lower selvage. I haven't seen any, but it is possible that some of the blocks may exist with re-entries in the inscriptions themselves. As for the layout and placement of the inscriptions themselves, the inscriptions consist of "Canadian Bank Note Co. Limited" and "Ottawa No. 1" in two lines of text that are centered with respect to one another. On the 1c through 5c, the inscriptions appe...

Today's post will examine the first four aspects of this issue that I outlined in last week's overview post: Shade varieties. Paper and gum varieties. Tagging varieties. Perforation varieties. Shade Varieties Most of the values of this issue can be found with at least two shades, with the 3c purple being an outstanding hunting ground for many, many shades of purple that can be found due to difficulties that the CBN experienced with the stability of the colour. The only stamps that seem to show almost no variation are the 2c green and the jet plane stamps. However, I'll bet that with enough searching, it is possible to find some subtle shades of even these stamps. I will try to show some examples of the main shades I have seen in the stamps that I have worked with so far over the years. Of course, there are likely others (many others in the case of the 3c) that are not shown here. But this will hopefully give you some idea of the scope that exists.  1c...