The Admiral Stamps of Canada

Seven Cents

Seven Cents Bistre | Seven Cents Red Brown

The seven-cents value was used as a convenient way to pay for the combined registered (five cents) and basic first class postage rate (two cents) . On 1 October 1921, as a consequence of the increase in postal rates for letters destined to Newfoundland, the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the bistre coloured four-cents stamp was introduced. This meant that there was practically no longer a need for a seven-cents stamp. In fact, the number of sales of the seven-cent denomination dropped from an average of 10 million per year before 1921 to less than three million afterwards. The seven-cents value was retained for the duration of the Admiral issue, but it was found to be necessary to change its colour because of its similarity with the new four-cent stamp. (The seven-cents value, among others, was dropped from the succeeding definitive George V series, known as the Scroll Issue, and was not seen again on a definitive stamp until 1971 as part of the Queen Elizabeth II Centennial Issue. Hence the colour was changed to red-brown.

Note: Colours in this electronic medium are very difficult to reproduce with accuracy and what is seen is often dependent on individual colour settings and monitor capabilities. For a more accurate depiction of colours, readers are advised to consult catalogues or works such as Hans Reiche's Admiral Colour Identification. (See References.)

Updated: 11 Oct 97