Picture Postage(Tm) 2012, Redesigned

Canada Post is issuing 12 (twelve) new Picture Postage(tm) designs on November 5th. Singles will be available in a "pre-pack"...



This image was taken from the Canada Post collector's shopping area.

I understand the latest Details magazine has been mailed that may contain more information on these.

Thanks for the information Studystamps. I see the pack is being sold at face value, the permanent rate is now 61c. FDC's are also available.

It appears they are supplying them with blank centers in the packs, however, I assume photos will be printed directly on the stamps from http://PicturePostage.ca, as before, and sold at a premium.

There is no word about these new designs from PicturePostage.ca yet.

Canada Post's latest Details magazine is now available on-line (http://www.canadapost.ca/cpo/mc/ass...olxxino4.pdf) and now has, wait for it, more details on the new Picture Postage(tm) stamps.

The designs will be available in booklets of 12, sheets of 25 (+1) or sheets of 50.

In addition, you can now get them in 4 denominations: Permanent(tm), USA-rate, International-rate, and Oversize rates.

They are now being printed by Lowe-Martin instead of Canadian Bank Note.

Wow.

More details on these in Details...

There are 12 different designs available in BOTH portrait and landscape (they are different by on the placement of the denomination). It appears as though the mint set of singles only includes the Portrait whereas the first day covers (there are two) have the Landscape versions!

There are 3 formats for each: booklet of 12, pane of 25+1 and pane of 50.

Each of the above are available in 4 denominations: Permanent(tm), USA-rate, International-rate and Oversize-rate (the latter 3 will change each time the rate increases; thus, this year's stamps will be very short-lived at just about 2 months).

What is the total cost if you bought one of everything?

A quick formula for just the face value is: 24 versions x 87 stamps x $4.75 = $9,918.00

Assuming the markup is 60c per stamp (as it has been in the past), you need to add another $1252.80

Then, you need to add the GST/HST/PST (let's assume 13% for Ontario), that is another $1,452.20 in tax.

Grand total = $12,623.00

Open the wallet or break the piggy bank!

A couple of updates to the new Picture Postage...

Canada Post announced that the revised Picture Postage designs were to be available November 5.

The picturepostage.ca website had noted that these were delayed until November 19. This morning, the message on the site says it is delayed again, until November 24.

* my FDC order for the new designs was shipped a few days ago! Haven't seen it yet, but that means the "first day of issue" is certainly not the 19th or the 24th.

* my order for the Collector's Pack of 12 singles was shipped a couple of days ago (should arrive by Monday).

Although you still cannot order new personalized Picture Postage via the website, the Canada Post App for iPod/iPad/iPhone was just revised (November 16/17?) and DOES allow you to order all of the new stamps, post cards, and greeting cards.

I applaud Canada Post for keeping the cost of collecting Canadian stamps within the reach and pocket book of all ages. We had the reissue of the Chinese New Year stamps, then the CFL and now picture postage. I am sure I have missed some others. They know how to keep the collectors interest high in anticipation of yet another costly issue.

In my opinion, Canada Post is out of its collective mind and is determined to kill the collection of Canadian stamps.

I've purchased mint products of every new issue directly from Canada Post, starting in 1958, and stopped only this year as I could no longer justify buying all nine book of the CFL issues.

I will only purchase the 12 (twelve) new Picture Postage(tm) "pre-pack" stamps.

I don't remember when I started buying all the new issues from Canada Post but I have called it quits at the end of this year. I called this past week and cancelled my "standing order". I have always enjoyed the hobby but the last year in particular has turned me off of new issues. I will save my retirement dollars for earlier Canadian issues and will spend my money with ebay sellers instead of Canada Post.

Well said serious collector. I did the same with the CFL and postage stamp issues. From now on,I'll stick with the quarterly packs, period.

I guess CP never heard the saying "Don't bite the hand that feeds you".

I received my on-line order of the FDCs yesterday (they are dated Nov 5) and the single stamps from the "Picture Postage(tm) Collector's Pack" today (Nov 20):



Canada Post's smartphone/table app describes them as:

Butterflies | Celebration | Christmas | Dots
Flowers | Little Creatures | Love Hearts | Maple Leaves
Shadow | Snowflakes | Wedding Bells | Wedding Doves

So, what is the "issue date"?

* Nov 1 was the day Canada Post said the "Turtles" promotion (with the "dots" design) was available
* Nov 2 was the day you could buy the "Turtles" promotion
* Nov 5 is the date on the OFDC
* Nov 16 is the date that Canada Post's "app" was available and you could place your personalized order
* Nov 24 is what the picturepostage.ca website says the stamps are available

I placed my first order for a sheet of 25 with the souvenir sheet (the souvenir sheet includes 1 extra bonus stamp as before).

The cost was $28.75 plus $3.45 tax plus $2.95 plus $0.35 shipping tax , a total of $35.50.

The "old" Picture Postage stamps were sent post free.

Here is my design. Hopefully the text will look good when the stamps arrive.

Nice design. Haven't ordered any myself yet.

I would like mine to have some sort of fade in / out effect around the <P> lower right instead of the squared off business.

Have to dig out my graphics (Print Shop) program and see what I can do.

I don't like the "P" either Puzzler, and I don't like the dots above the picture and at the left. I would rather it be blank and room for a larger picture. As a compromise, they could have put the "P" to the right of the dots.

I finally soaked the block of six from one of the FDC's of the new Picture Postage design. Just as I suspected, the die cut does not go through the stamps completely, and they came off as a block. On the left side, however, there is a bit of separation.

These have to be the first Canadian stamps produced that do not exist mint. Remember they are in horizontal format, while the mint examples sold in the pack are vertical.

Front:


Back:

Customized Picture Postage (tm) orders received from Lowe-Martin are now using Picture Postage as postage!

A contact of mine received his order with four of the following Picture Postage stamps (note the similarity to the 2008 Christmas issue, also produced by Lowe-Martin):



By the way, the stamps were not cancelled (although smudged somewhere while in the mail stream).