Thank you, CSN readers, for voicing your opinion on Canada’s 2020 stamp program while shining a light on some collector behaviours.
For the past 181 years worldwide (and 170 years in present-day Canada, which issued its first stamp in 1851), these small bits of paper have done much more than merely adorn mail. Stamps make myths, and they build nations. They sometimes deliver propaganda, but no matter what, they always tell a story. Like a country’s flag or anthem, stamps serve as a vehicle for national symbolism—but the main difference between a stamp and an anthem is the latter is set in stone but the former offers many opportunities (more than a dozen each year in Canada) to shape a country’s evolving sense of self.
In that spirit, CSN revived its annual stamp survey in early 2021. It’s our first survey in about a decade; we announced the results of our last survey in 2011 (“Blue whale swims away with favourite stamp title,” CSN Vol. 36 #14).
Now, as we strive to keep our finger on the pulse of Canadian philately, the 2021 CSN Stamp Survey includes 11 questions focusing on last year’s stamp program plus your stamp-buying habits and membership status.
View the survey questions, results and 2020 stamp program below. A full review is published in CSN Vol. 46 #6.
2021 SURVEY QUESTIONS
The survey closed on April 18.
- What is the best designed Canadian stamp of 2020?
- What is the worst designed Canadian stamp of 2020?
- What is the most relevant Canadian issue of 2020?
- What is the least relevant Canadian issue of 2020?
- What is your overall favourite Canadian stamp of 2020?
- Do you purchase stamps online or at a post office?
- In your experience, does your local post office have new stamps in stock within their first week of issue?
- Do you buy each new stamp issued by Canada Post?
- Do you collect anything other than new issues (i.e., classic stamps, covers, postcards, coins, etc.)?
- Are you a member of a stamp club?
- Do you subscribe to CSN?
2021 CSN STAMP SURVEY RESULTS
The number of votes received is shown beside each response. With 149 respondents, the margin of error for the survey, which is neither scientific nor statistically valid, is about 8%.
(1) What is the best designed Canadian stamp of 2020?
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- 1st: From Far and Wide: 30 (20.1%)
- 2nd: Group of Seven: 17 (11.4%)
- 3rd: Maud Lewis: 17 (11.4%)
- Mary Riter Hamilton: 14
- Radio History: 14
- Community Foundation: 11
- V-E Day: 10
- Colored Hockey Championship: 8
- Christmas: 6
- Dahlias: 5
- Eid: 4
- Diwali: 4
- Lunar New Year: 4
- Medical Groundbreakers: 3
- Hanukkah: 0
- No response: 2
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(2) What is the worst designed Canadian stamp of 2020?
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- 1st: Lunar New Year: 46 (30.8%)
- 2nd: Diwali: 15 (10%)
- 3rd: Eid: 13 (8.7%)
- From Far and Wide: 10
- Hanukkah: 10
- Colored Hockey Championship: 8
- Dahlias: 7
- Medical Groundbreakers: 7
- Radio History: 6
- Community Foundation: 6
- Mary Riter Hamilton: 6
- Christmas: 5
- V-E Day: 4
- Maud Lewis: 3
- Group of Seven: 1
- No response: 2
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(3) What is the most relevant Canadian issue of 2020?
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- 1st: Medical Groundbreakers: 35 (23.4%)
- 2nd: Group of Seven: 29 (19.4%)
- 3rd: V-E Day: 24 (16.1%)
- Colored Hockey Championship: 19
- From Far and Wide: 15
- Radio History: 11
- Maud Lewis: 8
- Christmas: 3
- Mary Riter Hamilton: 2
- Community Foundation: 1
- Hanukkah: 0
- Diwali: 0
- Lunar New Year: 0
- Dahlias: 0
- Eid: 0
- No response: 2
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(4) What is the least relevant Canadian issue of 2020?
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- 1st: Dahlias: 40 (26.8%)
- 2nd: Lunar New Year: 39 (26.1%)
- 3rd: Eid: 27 (18.1%)
- Community Foundation: 7
- Diwali: 7
- Mary Riter Hamilton: 6
- Hanukkah: 5
- Radio History: 5
- From Far and Wide: 3
- Colored Hockey Championship: 3
- Christmas: 2
- Medical Groundbreakers: 1
- V-E Day: 1
- Group of Seven: 1
- Maud Lewis: 0
- No response: 2
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(5) What is your overall favourite Canadian stamp of 2020?
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- 1st: Group of Seven: 31 (20.8%)
- 2nd: Maud Lewis: 30 (20.1%)
- 3rd: V-E Day: 13 (8.7%)
- From Far and Wide: 12
- Radio History: 9
- Colored Hockey Championship: 8
- Community Foundation: 8
- Mary Riter Hamilton: 8
- Christmas: 7
- Medical Groundbreakers: 6
- Dahlias: 6
- Diwali: 5
- Lunar New Year: 2
- Eid: 2
- Hanukkah: 0
- No response: 2
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(6) Do you purchase stamps online or at a post office?
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- Only online: 57 (38.2%)
- Only post office: 36 (24.1%)
- Both: 25 (16.7%)
- Other: 22 (14.7%)
- No response: 9 (6%)
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(7) In your experience, does your local post office have new stamps in stock within their first week of issue?
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- Almost always: 46 (30.87%)
- Sometimes: 37 (24.8%)
- Always: 23 (15.4%)
- Rarely: 22 (14.7%)
- Never: 9 (6%)
- Unsure: 7 (4.6%)
- No response: 5 (3.3%)
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(8) Do you buy each new stamp issued by Canada Post?
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- All: 83 (55.7%)
- Some: 54 (36.2%)
- None: 10 (6.7%)
- No response: 2 (1.3%)
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(9) Do you collect anything other than Canadian new issues (multiple choices possible)?
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- Classic Canadian stamps: 90
- Worldwide: 50
- Back of the book: 50
- Topicals: 43
- Covers: 40
- Worldwide new issues: 37
- Postcards: 32
- BNA stamps: 30
- Coins: 27
- Philatelic literature: 24
- Picture Postage: 21
- Other: 19
- Banknotes: 17
- Postmarks: 16
- Art: 7
- Sports cards: 6
- Wine: 4
- Medals: 3
- Tokens: 2
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(10) Are you a member of a stamp club?
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- Yes: 72 (48.3%)
- No: 67 (44.9%)
- No response: 10 (6.7%)
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(11) Do you subscribe to CSN?
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- Yes: 107 (71.8%)
- No: 39 (26.1%)
- No response: 3 (2%)
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2020 STAMP PROGRAM
The 2020 stamp program, which can be viewed in the gallery below, included:
- nine stamps from the third “From Far and Wide” set, issued on Jan. 13;
- two stamps issued on Jan. 17 for the Year of the Rat, rounding out Canada Post’s second and final 12-year Lunar New Year series;
- a “Colored Hockey Championship” stamp issued on Jan. 24 to mark Black History Month;
- two dahlia stamps issued on March 2;
- a single Eid stamp issued on April 24;
- two V-E Day stamps issued on April 29;
- seven Group of Seven stamps issued on May 7;
- two stamps issued on May 20 to mark 100 years of Canadian radio history;
- five “Medical Groundbreakers” stamps issued on Sept. 10;
- a single Community Foundation semi-postal stamp issued on Sept. 21;
- a single Diwali stamp issued on Oct. 15;
- a single stamp issued on Oct. 28 to commemorate First World War artist Mary Riter Hamilton;
- three secular holiday stamps plus one Christmas stamp issued on Nov. 2; and
- a single Hanukkah stamp issued on Nov. 5.
Thank you for participating in the 2021 CSN Stamp Survey!