Amid a year-long funeral to mark the passing of the longest-reigning Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the Ottawa-based printer Lowe-Martin was chosen by Thailand Post to produce three commemorative souvenir sheets.
The only printer outside of Canada to receive a contract from the Thai postal service, Lowe-Martin printed a total of three million sheets, each of which features the three separate designs commemorating the late king, who died on Oct. 13, 2016 at the age of 88. The designs include Thailand’s Royal Urn; Phra Yannamas Sam Lam Khan (Royal Chariot with Three Poles); and Phra Maha Phichai Rajarot (The Great Victory Chariot) that carried the late king’s body to the cremation site.
The stamps are printed on gummed stock using four-colour process inks and “Top Star” gold ink. The stamps feature clear and gold foil and are sequentially numbered in batches of 500 with gold foil on the numbers.
YEAR-LONG FUNERAL CEREMONY
Adulyadej’s funeral ended this October, exactly one year after it began.
Governor General Julie Payette, who replaced David Johnston as Canada’s 29th Governor General on Oct. 2, attended the king’s cremation in Bangkok as Canada’s official representative.
“During his remarkable 70-year reign, King Bhumibol devoted himself to improving the lives of the Thai people and was a true partner for Canada,” said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau this October. “On behalf of all Canadians, the Governor General will pay respects to this historic leader.”
OTTAWA & MISSISSAUGA
Lowe-Martin’s headquarters are located on Hunt Club Road in Ottawa; however, the printer also has a separate office in Ottawa as well as two additional offices in Mississauga. They produce stamps for 50 countries worldwide.