Tete Beche Canada Pair Airs 1926

Pretty pair. Is there a question or statement here?

Peter

This is not a Canada air mail stamp but a semi official air mail stamp , Vandam catalog 11a or 12a depending if it's a deep blue or ultramarine, the pair was tête bêche horizontal or vertical

That was my question Petert4522, if it was a CAnadian air mail stamp or not. Somehow it didn't make it though. Thank you area66 for the info. "semi official" means what exactly ?

It was a private stamp for the company mentioned on the stamp, the Fairchild Air Transport Limited. Is you Google that company and go to the van Dam auction, you might be in for a pleasant surprise!

Peter

While it was issued by a private company, it was authorized by the Canadian Post Office Department and subject to certain postal regulations. These semi-official stamp s are listed in Unitrade and the Scott Classic catalog. They were supposedly issued to facilitate mail carriage into the gold fields in the 1920s. Opinion follows: Most were made for sale to collectors. When I first started collecting Canada in the 1950s, the semi-officials were considered junk not worth bothering with. Over the years they have gained respectability. Several years ago I viewed an outstanding, fantastic collection of 8 frames of semi-official covers, none of which appeared to be philatelic. In short, you have a nice pair, enjoy them.

Are these stamps pricey and/or frequently sold as singles or pairs off cover?

Don

Unitrade catalogs the pair at $95.

Unitrade CL12a or CL12b since one stamp looks darker in shade.

Definitely darker