It is understood, however, that only in the domestic mails were private cards allowed to pass at the usual post card rate. If addressed to a foreign country a private card, if in writing, would be taxed at letter rates. In the Weekly Philatelic Era for 19th November, 1898, however, it is announced that the Postmaster General had issued an order admitting private mailing cards into the foreign mails provided the size conformed to that of the official post cards.

The next official card that we have to consider is a new Postal Union card which made its appearance suddenly in the latter part of 1896. This is one of the most striking cards that Canada has produced, being beautifully engraved on steel and printed in a brilliant orange red. There is no frame, such as bordered the previous 2 cent card, and the stamp in the upper right corner much resembles in size and design the large 2 cent adhesive of the 1868 issue, except that the head of the Queen is turned to the left. The inscriptions follow out, in a way, the general style of British Colonial Postal Union cards, a small reproduction of the British arms with supporters occupying the center at the top. The arrangement will be seen from the illustration.

The card is approximately 5⅛ × 3⅛ inches (130 × 80 mm.) in size and printed on a very light buff stock. A variety in shade occurs, of some degree of rarity, printed in carmine. The card was first chronicled in the American Journal of Philately for 1st November, 1896, and was the last "new issue" put forth by the British American Bank Note Co. before its long contract was closed. The card was noted in the Postmaster General's Report for 1897 as follows:—"During the year a Universal Postal Union Card, conforming more closely to the regulations of the Union was introduced, thus superseding the old card." The new dimensions of the card, the removal of the frame, and the completing of the inscriptions in both English and French were among these requirements.

The American Bank Note Co., as we all know, began its work for the Canadian Government by the production of the Jubilee Issue. As will be seen by reference to the prospectus of this series already given,[236] there was included a special post card of 1 cent to the number of 7 millions. These were delivered and all issued with the exception of 3000 on hand as shown by the stamp accounts in 1903. They do not appear in the 1904 accounts, so it is not known what became of them.

The cards were issued with the Jubilee stamps on the 19th June, 1897.[237] They were the size of the ordinary 1 cent cards and on the same quality of stock. The stamp is a reproduction of the 1 cent adhesive of the Jubilee issue, but engraved for typographic printing. "Canada Post Card" is enclosed in a fancy frame at the left and the usual instructions are found beneath it.

A curious variety of this card was noted in the Metropolitan Philatelist for August, 1897, as follows:—"We have seen the new jubilee card bearing the stamp only. This is an error caused by the design being in two pieces and in this case the inscription has dropped out."

The regular post cards produced by the new contractors did not make their appearance until several months after the first adhesives of the new type were out. The two cent card was the first issued, having been reported by the Canadian correspondent of the Weekly Philatelic Era under date of 4th December, 1897, as just out. It was a copy of the 2 cent card of 1896 in every respect except the stamp, which was naturally of the new maple leaf type, and the color was a deeper shade of orange red.

The 1 cent card does not appear to have been chronicled until the number for 1st February, 1898, of the American Journal of Philately, so that it doubtless appeared early in January or possibly the latter part of December, 1897, following closely the 2 cent card. It was also of the usual size and same stock as before and, like the Jubilee card, had a copy of the 1 cent adhesive printed in the corner. This was of the maple leaf type, engraved for typographic printing and therefore of rather coarser appearance than its prototype. The inscriptions were simply CANADA POST CARD in plain Gothic letters, with the usual line of instructions beneath, all printed in black; while the stamp was printed in dark green.

Early in December, 1897, the following news item appeared in the Canadian daily press:—

The following was the official announcement:—

Post-Office Department, Canada.
Ottawa, 9th December, 1897.

These "advertisement" cards were issued by the Post Office Department singly, or printed in sheets of eight or sixteen. The single cards came in packages of 100 like the ordinary cards; the eight card sheets were made up in packages of 125 sheets, or 1000 cards all told; and the sixteen card sheets also in packages of 125 sheets, or 2000 cards all told. The reason for this is seen in the requirement that orders for these cards should be for not less than 1000. It is seen from the stamp accounts that the eight card sheets have proven the most popular, about six times as many sheets of this size as of the larger size having been issued in 1910, while the number of cards represented was five times the number of single cards issued.

The stock is the same as used for the ordinary cards and the size of the single card is the same, while the arrangement on the sheets and the regulations require that they be cut up into cards of the proper size. The stamp is impressed in the right hand upper corner and is the same as for the ordinary card but printed in carmine. The only other thing on the card as issued is the directions, printed in small black Gothic capitals:—THE SPACE BELOW IS RESERVED FOR ADDRESS ONLY. This is placed about midway between the top and bottom of the card and about as far to the right as it will go.

The last of the Queen's head cards were chronicled in the Monthly Journal for 30th July, 1898. These were the reply card and the Postal Union card in a change of color. The reply card was of the usual size, 5 × 3 inches, and had printed inscriptions in black like the single card, save that the word REPLY is placed between the two lines on the card for answer. The stamp is from the same die as the single card but printed in black instead of green. The stock is the usual pale buff.

The same paper for 31st March, 1899, notes an error of impression in this card, the reply portion being printed on the back of the message card, so that the second card has no impression at all upon it.

The Postal Union card was identical with the one it superseded, except that it was printed in deep blue, and the card is of a cream tint rather than a buff. The cause of the sudden change in color is not known.

The King's head cards soon followed the adhesives. Mekeel's Weekly Stamp News reported the 1 cent in its issue for 5th September, 1903. It needs no further description than to say it is a counterpart of the preceding Queen's Head card, the stamp as before being a copy of the adhesive engraved for typographic work. The impression is in green for the stamp and black for the inscriptions.

The advertising card or "Business Post-Card" was the next to appear, having been issued early in December, 1903. Again it is in every way similar to its predecessor save that the impression of the stamp is lighter—rather a pink than a carmine.

Finally, in its issue for 20th February, 1904, Mekeel's Weekly Stamp News reports the issue of the reply card in its usual form and the Postal Union card, identical with the former save for the stamp, which is of course line engraved on this card. The issue of cards in 1910 comprised over 26 millions of the 1 cent, 430,000 of the reply cards and 70,000 of the Postal Union cards.

CHAPTER XXIV

THE LETTER CARDS

The Postmaster General's Report for 1892 contained the following announcement:—"Letter cards, similar to those in use in Great Britain, Austria, and other European countries, are being prepared, and will be issued to the public in a short time." Only one value was issued, the 3 cents, and it appeared in company with the 20 and 50 cent adhesives and large sized post card on the 17th February, 1893. Artistically it is a pretty poor production, the stamp being apparently a rough wood-cut imitation of the stock type used by Messrs. De La Rue & Co. at that time for British Colonial stamps. The profile of the Queen is on a solid ground within an octagonal frame, and the labels at top and bottom contain the words POSTAGE and THREE CENTS respectively. At the left of the stamp, in two lines, is CANADA—LETTER CARD, the first being in Gothic, the second in Roman capitals. The entire impression is in carmine. The size of the card, opened out, is 5½ × 7 inches (138 × 175 mm.), the longer dimension being reduced one half by folding of course. The perforation gauges 12 and is in Form A of Senf's catalogue (both lines crossing at the corner intersections). The margin outside the perforations measures ⅜ inch (10 mm.) and is gummed only around the third face of the folded card. The stock is of fair quality and of a light greenish-blue tint.

The Postmaster General's Report for 1894 says that "so far the demand for these letter cards has not equalled the expectations of the Department." On looking at the stamp accounts we find that from their date of issue to the 30th June, 1893, 265,350 of the letter cards were distributed; but during the whole of the next fiscal year but 104,650 were issued and for the third year the amount had dropped to 77,750. The Postmaster General's plaint was therefore justified.

It is perhaps best to record here a curious semi-official issue of what might be termed a "letter sheet" for the use of the Canadian Pacific Railway. It was first noted in the Monthly Journal for 31st January, 1894, as "a sheet stamped with the current 1 cent wrapper die, upon which is printed the monthly statement of receipts and expenditure for transmission to shareholders." Perhaps for the reason that the wrapper stamp was impressed upon it, this variety has been listed under the newspaper wrappers, but such it is not. The circular was printed upon a stout gray-blue paper, and had the wrapper stamp of type 4 impressed upon the back in black. Above the stamp appears the inscription "Printed Matter Only," while in the lower left corner of the address side of the folded sheet are two lines reading:—

Three guide lines are printed for the address, as upon the old post cards. The sheet must have been issued in 1893 subsequent to the appearance of the large post card with the stamp of type 4 in black. It is stated to have been issued as an experiment and was in use but a short time. A second variety is known, however, on white laid paper, which was probably issued subsequently to the blue variety, but at what date is not known. Both sheets are rare so the experiment evidently was not carried on for long.

Returning to the regular letter cards we find again in the Postmaster General's Report for 1895 that "arrangements have been made for the issue of letter cards of the denominations of 1, 2 and 3c. for the use of banks in transmitting certain notices to their customers, as well as for ordinary letters within those postal limits to which their denominations respectively apply." The next year's Report explains their use a little more fully:—

The 2 cent letter card is chronicled in the Monthly Journal for 31st October, 1895, and the 1 cent in the same paper for the 30th November, 1895. Both were doubtless issued the early part of October. They conformed in all respects to the 3 cent letter card issued two years and a half previously, except for the stamp. If the 3 cent was wretched, the two new ones were hideous. They were not only more poorly engraved, which was needless, but the label at the bottom was enlarged by extending it at either side. The 1 cent was printed in black and the 2 cent in green—inscription and stamp in the same color in each case.

In 1903 the Weekly Philatelic Era published the following:[238]—

This is the style of perforation designated as C in Senf's catalogue—in which the horizontal line does not project beyond the vertical lines at either side. We have seen a perfect copy of the above described 1 cent letter card, which seems to be unlisted; but the 3 cent card with this perforation, listed and priced in Senf, we have not ourselves seen. It is possible that if two of these cards exist with perforation C, the third one—the 2 cent—will some day come to light.

The change in the stamp contractors in 1897 and the use of a new design naturally brought changes in the letter cards as well as the other postal requisites. The new 2 cent letter card was chronicled in the Monthly Journal for 31st January, 1898, so it is safe to assume that it appeared in December, 1897. The 1 cent and 3 cents are chronicled in the same paper for 28th February, 1898, and must therefore have been issued as early as January, 1898. The new letter cards were in all respects the counterparts of the previous ones save the stamp, which was now the same as that used for the new post cards and wrappers, viz., a copy of the "maple leaf" Queen's head type engraved for typographic work. These three letter cards are known only with the perforation A.

The reduction in domestic postage to the 2 cent rate on the 1st January, 1899, rendered the 3 cent letter cards useless as well as the envelopes of like denomination. We have already recounted the story of the surcharged envelopes and the two types of the handstamp which were used in doing the work.[239] Suffice it to say, therefore, that we have but to add the letter cards to the same story to make it complete. Both the 3 cent letter cards of 1893 and 1898 were turned in for surcharging purposes, and the former not only received both types of the rubber hand-stamped surcharge in the usual blue-black or gray-black color, but is found also with the second and common type in a violet color.[240] The surcharging was begun and the letter cards so treated were issued as early as February, 1899. The perforation, so far as known, is always A.

In its issue for 27th January, 1900, the Weekly Philatelic Era notes the receipt of the 1 cent and 2 cent letter cards of the maple leaf type in new colors, conforming with the requirements of the Postal Union, the one cent in green instead of black and the 2 cent in carmine instead of green. In all other respects these letter cards conformed to their predecessors. They were doubtless issued early in January, 1900.

The letter cards had been used in considerable quantities each year, particularly after 1895, when the 1 cent and 2 cent values were added to the previous 3 cent; but in 1902 they were withdrawn without any particular reason having been given that we have been able to discover. The stamp accounts for the Report of 1902 give the numbers issued in that fiscal year as 195,100 for the 1 cent and 352,000 for the 2 cent. The only item of information we have to quote concerning their demise is confined to the dates: the last issue of the 1 cent letter card is recorded as the 4th April, 1902, and of the 2 cent letter card as the 28th June, 1902.

CHAPTER XXV

OFFICIAL STATIONERY

The first news of these surcharges seems to have come, very strangely, from Germany. The Philatelic Record for December, 1884,[241] says:—

The Secretary of the Philatelic Society, London, whose official journal the Philatelic Record then was, wrote direct to the Canadian Government to inquire into the authenticity of these so-called official issues, and received the following reply:[242]—

This would ordinarily seem to have been enough of a disclaimer, but like Banquo's ghost the official stationery would not down, though the stamps seem to have been lost sight of. Not only were the envelopes of 1 cent and 3 cents of the 1877 issue, but the newspaper wrappers of 1875 and 1882, and the post card of 1882, surcharged across the stamp with the word "OFFICIAL" or "Service" in black, blue or red ink, but sometimes the arms of Great Britain were added at the left of the stamp, and also, in the lower left corner, the words

The lack of uniformity, or rather attempt at variety, was enough in itself to condemn the articles. Yet in the American Philatelist for June, 1888, we find an attempted defence of them. We quote:[243]—

In other words Mr. Hechler knew all about these "official" stamps and the Postmaster-General and his secretary, as we have seen, knew absolutely nothing about them! This seems to tell its own story. In fact another letter from the Post Office Department, dated 13th April, 1888, and published in this same volume of the American Philatelist,[244] reiterates the denials of the previous letter which we have already quoted. The Philatelic Record received later,[245] from the Postmaster of Halifax, the information that Mr. Hechler had had this stationery surcharged and that it was neither issued nor recognized by the Government of Canada. The Record says:—"It was a smart notion of Mr. Hechler to turn his military duties into the direction of his business as a stamp dealer." Mr. Hechler "came back" at this in the columns of the Philatelic Journal of America[246] with the statement that "the Post Office Inspector here referred the question to headquarters, and, in reply, was instructed to allow such matter to pass through the mails without question or delay." The communication was enclosed in one of the envelopes in question, but the Editor's remarks on this are conclusive:—

It was a private speculation, pure and simple, in spite of any claims of "recognition", and of the fact that copies passed the post. The only other quotation to make in the case is from Shakespeare—Exeunt.

We now come to an actual official issue in the shape of a newspaper wrapper. It seems to have been first noted in Le Timbre-Poste for February, 1883, but is stated to have been issued in 1879. The stamp is of the 1875 issue (type 1) and at its left is printed in blue the following:—

Above the English inscription is its counterpart in French. The wrapper itself is of a cream tone and measures 280 × 132 mm.

The history of this wrapper does not seem to be known, save that it is accredited to be what it purports to be. It is quite rare, and as far as we have been able to find out is not known used. No mention is made of it in the Department reports, but it happens that the stamp accounts for 1879, the year of its supposed issue, give only 8,000 wrappers as received from the manufacturers. None had been received the two years previously, as there were plenty on hand, and 192,000 were received the next year. It would thus appear, on the face of it, that this small lot of 8,000 was quite probably the order of the Inland Revenue wrappers. If so, it was probably the only lot ever received and though they may have been used, the chances seem somewhat against any such number having actually been issued.

One other official issue comes in the form of a Customs' post card notice. It was first chronicled in the American Philatelist for 10th May, 1888, as having been issued in connection with the parcel post system just then inaugurated with the United States. Postmasters received instructions to forward these cards free through the mails, although there was no stamp or notice on the address side. It is of manila card, 130 × 88 mm., blank on one side and having printed on the other:—

In its September, 1888, number the Halifax Philatelist notes that the blank address side has been supplied with three dotted lines for the address, and inscriptions reading, in the upper left corner, "Advice Note", and in the upper right corner, "Free, by order of the Post Master General."

One further official variety is somewhat unusual. The American Philatelist for September, 1889,[247] says:—

POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT, CANADA,
DEAD LETTER OFFICE.

CHAPTER XXVI

PRECANCELLATIONS AND PERMITS

The London Philatelist for April, 1892, quoted a letter from Mr. L. Gibb of Montreal which enclosed "a specimen used on the letter, but with the obliteration on the stamp only, and also portions of sheets gummed and unsevered, but neatly postmarked with horizontal wavy lines." Mr. Gibb wrote:[248]—

The system in the United States made use of a cancellation giving the town and state name, printed on the sheets by a press; but the Canadian precancellation was of simpler form, being of two fairly heavy horizontal lines with a wavy line between. No name occurs in the cancellation and it was applied with a roller, thus making a universal style which is more convenient in application than the type set form, varying for every post office.

Further information in regard to this cancellation is found in Mekeel's Weekly Stamp News[249] where we read:—"The Canadian one-cent stamp cancelled on circulars is obliterated by a revolving self-inking canceler and is issued for use on the 5th class matter, i. e. parcels, etc., to post offices with an annual revenue of $3000 and over."

In 1904 precancelled stamps began to appear with the town name and that of the province, separated by two horizontal bars. In answer to an inquiry concerning them the Department replied as follows:[250]—

It is evident that the latter form of printed precancellation was the only one intended to be employed by the Department, and that the earlier form of impression from the roller canceller was unauthorized, for the following circular was issued to make matters plain for postmasters:[251]—

Not long afterward the bars were lowered somewhat on the size of the mailing required for the use of precancelled stamps, as the following circular shows:[252]—