A Canada Post Philatelic Service First

For the first time in Canadian postal history, Canada Post instructed all postal outlets in writing that they could not sell single stamps from the Royal Wedding 16 stamp pane. The complete pane had to be sold only at its full face value of $18.72.

I've been collecting Canadian mint since 1957 and believe that this is a very bad precedent as it furthers Canada Post's continuing purchasing restrictions of small numbers of stamps. This can not be due to their UPC scanning inventory system as no other pane issues are so affected.

Uninformed Canada Post employees have told me that the two stamps from the souvenir sheet are the same as the pane stamps, when they are not. The pane stamps are in 8 colour lithography, whereas the souvenir sheet stamps are 9 colours. The booklet versions are 7 colour lithography.

This is similar to the Philatelic Services' previous statements that the Quarterly Packs contain single copies of booklet stamps, satisfying those collectors wanting copies of an issued stamp, not knowing that their specially die cut versions are separate collectibles apart from singles purchased from an actual booklet.

If this is the mentality of the Philatelic Service under Jim Phillips then its time that a few experienced collectors, who are not dealers or others with agendas separate from the act of collecting only, become part of the Stamp Advisory Committee.

Of course, this is only my opinion.

The Stamp Advisory Committee only selects the topic and design of the stamp.

It has no say on the format, pane size, selvedge design, printer, number of colours, first day cover design, quantity printed, quarterly pack items, annual collection, souvenir collections, souvenir sheets, in most cases denomination, etc., etc.

The SAC has a very limited scope.

Although the number of colours used is different between the pane of 16 and the souvenir sheet, the extra colour was used for selvedge information, not on the actual stamps.

I do not believe it is possible to tell the difference between single stamps from the two different sources (souvenir sheet and pane of 16).

With that said, I agree that Canada Post should allow the selling of individual stamps from the pane of 16.

I know it's a compromise, but I've started peeling the single from a booklet and putting it on paper from "sticky labels" to fill the Scott album page.

That is very unfortunate.

They have to sell it to you as an individual stamp. It's posted right on their website. http://www.canadapost.ca/cpo/mc/per...gestamps.jsf

Please see the "Choose the Right Format" section where it says "Conveniently sold as individual stamps if you just need one (in Postal Outlets only)."

Until they repeal this post, I would challenge whatever "policy" they made up.

And if they still ignore their own rules and make you buy the full sheet then you can use their "Returning Unused Postage Stamps" policy which says "Stamps can be returned at full face value; you can request a refund online or by calling 1 866 607-6301. Receipts are required for all returns. For refunds over $100, customers must also complete the Customer Refund form. Stamps that are mutilated, soiled, covered with transparent material or defaced in any way, cancelled, or from another country are not eligible for refund."

It doesn't say the stamps have to be in full sheets so you can easily take one stamp and return the rest according to this policy.

It will be interesting to attempt to buy a single booklet stamp by showing a copy of the web site page to the CP employee.
I imagine that their written instructions will probably countermand the web page. However, I will try it.

I don't believe that returning an "item" after removing a single stamp from a sheet, souvenir sheet, coil or booklet would work.
That "item" is now damaged and, under the web site page, is non-returnable.
A 6 stamp booklet containing only 5 stamps is no longer the product that was sold.

Hahaha Good reply canadianphilatelist!