The World’s First Christmas Stamp?
Originally this episode aired November 27th 2016. Prior name of the Podcast was Tea with Puppets.
In Episode 8, we get the real story behind what some claim as the world’s first Christmas stamp that was issued by Canada in 1898.
It starts with the Penny Black, the world’s first adhesive postage stamp used in a public postal system.
Some of the key players:
Here is a group photo at the postal conference in July 1898:
Here are some of the early designs from the archive, rejected:
Final proto-type Design
This design was the one used for the Stamp and is dated October 31st 1898. More details.
Final Design
The following are the final stamps
Denomination: 2¢ Scott #85
Date of Issue: 7 December 1898
Denomination: 2¢ Scott 86
Date of Issue: 7 December 1898
Here is the notice that went out to the postmasters about the stamp
An example of the extra islands.
Many examples of different varieties can be found here and here.
The “real” first Christmas Stamps of Canada
Denomination: 3¢
Date of Issue: 14 October 1964
Denomination: 5¢
Date of Issue: 14 October 1964
Thanks again to Bill Pekonen, Whit Bradley, Bertram Poole, Ron Winmill, Clifton Howes, Frederick Tomlinson, Kenneth Kershaw, and many other great philatelists who have written about this stamp. I have added links below for more study.
Sources and other links for further reading:
William Mulock Bio
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Mulock
History of Great Britain Postage
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postage_stamps_and_postal_history_of_Great_Britain
Image of 1898 Meeting
http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/detail.jsp?Entt=RDMDC-D1-40A&R=DC-D1-40A
How The First Christmas Stamp Came To Be
http://www.psestamp.com/articles/article1087.chtml
Kingston Stamp Club Newsletter
Winter 2010
http://www.kingstonstampclub.ca/newsletters/KSC-2010-Q4.pdf
The Stamps of Canada
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/22190
Journal of the Canadian Philatelic Society of Great Britain №270, pg 347
http://www.canadianpsgb.org.uk/mpl/mpl-1998-10-v025n10-w270.pdf
Journal of the Canadian Philatelic Society of Great Britain No 167
http://www.canadianpsgb.org.uk/mpl/mpl-1978-04-v016n11-w167.pdf
Image options
http://postalhistorycorner.blogspot.ca/2011/09/canadian-map-stamp-of-1898-imperial.html
Site Dedicated to the Stamp
http://mapstamp.org/
CSN Article on the Stamp
http://canadianstampnews.com/canadas-first-christmas-stamp-interesting-story/
Deep dive on the elements of the stamp
http://canadianphilately.blogspot.ca/2015/09/the-1898-imperial-penny-postage-issue.html
Issue 462 BNA Topics: Muddy Waters of Map Stamp
http://bnaps.org/hhl/Topics/BNA%20Topics,%20Vol.%2052,%20No.%201,%20Jan-Feb-Mar%201995,%20Whole%20No.%20462.pdf
Issue 463 BNA Topics: Muddy Waters of Map Stamp Update
http://bnatopics.org/journals/1995/BNA%20Topics,%20Vol.%2052,%20No.%202,%20Apr-May-June%201995,%20Whole%20No.%20463.pdf
Issue 472 BNA Topics: Map Stamp Chronology — Part I .
http://bnaps.org/hhl/Topics/BNA%20Topics,%20Vol.%2054,%20No.%203,%20July-Aug-Sept%201997,%20Whole%20No.%20472.pdf
Issue 473 BNA Topics: Map Stamp Chronology — Part II Page 41
http://bnaps.org/hhl/Topics/BNA%20Topics,%20Vol.%2054,%20No.%204,%20Oct-Nov-Dec%201997,%20Whole%20No.%20473.pdf
Issue 474 BNA Topics: Map Stamp Chronology — Part III Pg 13
http://bnatopics.org/journals/1998/BNA%20Topics,%20Vol.%2055,%20No.%201,%20Jan-Feb-Mar%201998,%20Whole%20No.%20474.pdf
A black and white plate proof of the MAP STAMP
https://www.rpsc.org/CP_scans/Canadian%20Philatelist,%20Vol.%2055.%20No.%205,%20September-October,%202004.%20Whole%20No.%20324.pdf
Postmaster Circular, December 2nd
http://data2.collectionscanada.ca/e/e087/e002151878.pdf
Parliament Debate about the stamp -Sir Charles Tupper
http://parl.canadiana.ca/view/oop.debates_HOC0804_01/45?r=0&s=1
