Canada Post’s latest release will include a philatelic first—Canada’s first double-sided uncut press sheet to feature stamp booklets—in celebration of the 65th anniversary of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, which will take place June 2.
The double-sided press sheets showcase the front, back and inside panels of 12 self-adhesive stamp booklets. Only 1,000 sheets have been printed and will be available to collectors beginning April 20. The stamp will also be available in booklets of 10, and an official first-day cover (OFDC) will be cancelled in Ottawa.
The stamp was designed by Montréal, Qué.’s Paprika based on a 1951 photograph of the Queen by iconic Armenian-Canadian photographer Yousuf Karsh. Some Canadians will also recognize the Karsh photo on the cover of the booklet from a series of five coronation stamps issued in the spring of 1953. The portrait on the new stamp, however, is from a famous sitting in July 1951, when the Queen was still known as Her Royal Highness Princess Elizabeth.
The booklet cover features a photograph by Armenian-Canadian Yousuf Karsh used in a series of five coronation stamps issued in the spring of 1953.
Throughout more than 40 years, Karsh photographed the Her Majesty on five occasions, two of them taking place before she became Queen.
One of the world’s most photographed women, Queen Elizabeth – now the longest-reigning monarch in British history – has had her likeness captured by other world-famous portrait photographers, including Dorothy Wilding, Lord Snowdon, Cecil Beaton and Annie Leibovitz. But it’s this image by Karsh that’s best known to generations of Canadians.
Both the press sheet and booklet were printed by Lowe-Martin using three-colour lithography.
BEES BRING SUMMER
The return of the bees is an annual reminder of summer’s arrival, and this transition is being celebrated with two new stamps to be issued by Canada Post on May 1.
Experts believe there are about 4,000 species of bees native to North America. Two of the more than 850 species native to Canada are found on this latest issue, which is available in booklets of 10 stamps and was produced by designer Andrew Perro and illustrator Dave Murray. The stamps were printed by Canadian Bank Note using four-colour lithography.
To be issued on May 1, the bees stamps feature the rusty-patched bumble bee (left) and the metallic green bee (right).
The rusty-patched bumble bee (Bombus affinis), once common in parts of Ontario and Quebec,
was the first bee species to be listed by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC).
The metallic green bee (Agapostemon virescens), one of many sweat bee species, digs its nest in the ground and can be found throughout southern Ontario.
An OFDC to be cancelled in Grand Bend, Ont. features another Canadian native, the small eastern resin bee (Anthidiellum notatum), which constructs a unique nest from resin and gravel.
An OFDC to be cancelled in Grand Bend, Ont. features the small eastern resin bee (Anthidiellum notatum).
FIRST FOUR ISSUES
“Since the start of the new year, we’ve launched our first four issues during celebrations across the country,” wrote Jim Phillips, director of stamp services, in the latest issue of Details magazine. “Kicking things off were signing sessions in Toronto and Vancouver for our spectacular Year of the Dog stamps and a star-studded celebration at Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame in Calgary honouring the incredible athletes in our Women in Winter Sports issue. For Black History Month, we paid homage to two groundbreaking Canadians at a series of special events and, more recently, we unveiled an eye-catching set featuring the work of five accomplished Canadian illustrators at OCAD University in Toronto.”
Following the recent issues celebrating the Queen’s coronation and commemorating Canada’s bees, there will be a stamp issued on May 18 to mark the 100th presentation of the Canadian Hockey League’s Memorial Cup.
For more information or to order the latest stamps, visit canadapost.ca/shop.