The Admiral Stamps of Canada

Details of Each Stamp

Only seven denominations were made available with the first issue, namely, the 1, 2, 5, 7, 10, 20 and 50-cent values (as was the case with the preceding Edward VII issue). The 3-cents value was added in 1918, the 4-cents in 1922 (to accommodate the rate to Newfoundland and Great Britain), the one dollar in 1923, and, finally, the 8-cents value in 1925. A 6-cents value was proposed but never came into existence, except as a die proof.

The colour changes resulted from an agreed standardization of postal rates through the Universal Postal Union (UPU). When the domestic rate changed to three cents, the three-cents value had to change to carmine, while the one- and two-cents values changed to yellow and green. The new ten cents UPU rate required the ten-cents value to change to blue, which in turn caused the five-cents denomination to be issued in violet. When the UPU rate changed to eight cents, with an attendant switch in colour to blue, the ten-cents value was changed to bistre brown.

The Purpose of Each Denomination

One Cent	drop letters/newspapers
Two Cents	domestic mail and mail to the US, UK, British possessions and Ireland
Three Cents	consolidated (incl war tax) domestic rate and, for a time, to the UK, British possessions and Ireland
Four Cents	increased rate for UK, British possessions and Ireland
Five Cents	blue - foreign rate and registered mail; violet - registered mail after foreign rate change
Seven Cents	registered (5c) plus domestic rate (2c)
Eight Cents	foreign rate after rate change
Ten Cents	increments of indemnity registrations, foreign rate (for a time)
Twenty Cents	increments of registration indemnity and heavier items
Fifty Cents	increments of registration indemnity and heavier items
One Dollar	increments of registration indemnity and heavier items

Updated: 5 Oct 97