Toronto collector Derwin Mak has reported at least two varieties of the pictorial postmark used for the recent Margaret Atwood issue (“Childhood collector Margaret Atwood honoured on final stamp of 2021,” CSN Vol. 46 #18).
The Nov. 25, 2021-dated Toronto postmark features the silhouette of a raven, symbolizing Atwood’s interest in birds, with a fountain pen held in its talons.
Canada Post’s official first-day cover – sold at post offices and online – shows thick ink flowing from the pen; however, another cover Mak sent to be cancelled by the Crown corporation’s National Philatelic Centre in Antigonish, N.S., has a slightly different design: the ink flowing from the pen is thinner.
CSN has contacted Canada Post to inquire about the different varieties.