Canada / Sweden 2010 Marine Life Booklet Varieties

Front of booklet (notice flags) with the mommy sea otter, crafty, sly looking lady.


Counting tab mark (black dash above Canada Post logo) on front and back of 1 in every 50 booklets:

Harbour Porpoise and babies:


Sea Otter and baby:

Full booklet folded open
(with only a 6-digit control number on right hand selvedge):
All booklets have the left hand selvedge blue dash.


Other selvedge (only on right hand side) varieties I have encountered so far:
Blank (most booklets 75%+) . / . Blue 1 . / . Blue 2 with 6 digits


Two others with Blue 2 and consecutive 6 digit numbers (from the same 25 booklet pack);


Note: perhaps these consecutive numbers will also show up on the 50 booklet bundle that I have the chance to examine in a couple days suggesting the use of consecutive numbers throughout the booklet packs.

I am missing a Blue 2 by itself, a counting tab with something (anything) on the selvedge) and a Blue 1 with 6 digits.

The hunt continues . . .

Good work Puzzler! I will scout around the Township of Langley tomorrow, there must be a dozen of those franchise post offices within a 10 minute drive.

Extra added detailed information:
Inside of booklet underneath stamps:

For curiosities sake, the Swedish issue:
(12kr = 12 kronar = $1.62 Canadian dollars)
Nice seal and nice coloured flags!



Only four stamps per booklet (Swedish international rate probably as apposed to 8 x Canadian domestic rate stamps) and all four are different including porpoise, sea otter, whale and seal.



Interesting that they include four Priority (Air Mail?) labels in the booklet.

Puzzzler, interesting too in that the line on the left is on the sides instead of the centre, despite being both printed in Sweden. I remember Canadian booklets of the past had them at the sides, they were cropping guides...strange...

Text and photos courtesy of Adminware site:
http://www.adminware.ca/headlines/n...ts.php?id=91

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May 28 update:
A few booklets have been found where the 6-digit control number is placed on the selvedge opposite the top of row stamps; nearly every other example of these 6-digit numbers has them placed on the bottom row.



Also notice that the "counting tab" can be a light grey colour (more common) compared to a darker black.
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edit: added ===== and bold and photos

Elliptical perforations:

Of the five columns of vertical perforations in this booklet the second and fourth columns have two each, centered vertically, elliptical perfs per stamp. Hard to see at first because of the printing on the back inside of the booklet.

Super stuff on this thread. A riveting read, many thanks.

As most Swedish stamps have straight edges, It would be interesting to see the sheet layout of these booklet stamps before cropping.
In Israel, they are very inconsistent with some booklets having markings and some not.

Does the booklet have margins all round? It looks that way from the scan. And what about the Swedish version ?

And many thanks for mentioning that Flags appear on the covers !!

Londonbus1.....

First to answer Londonbus: The Swedish booklet has straight edges at top and bottom, the Canadian has margins all around. The elliptical perfs are a first for Canada. Oddly, the Swedish does NOT have elliptical perfs.

I went to a local franchise post office this morning and was lucky, the clerk just opened a fresh pack. There were 2 groups of 25 booklets wrapped in plastic, as Puzzler said.

Here is what I found (and bought) out of the 50 booklets:

• 5 booklets with the blue "1"
• 5 booklets with the blue "2"
• 5 booklets with the black serial numbers (consecutive)

The rest of the booklets had blank margins.

One of the booklets with a "2" had the counting tab printed on the fold of the cover, as shown by puzzler. It was so light I almost missed it.

So it would appear the counting tab is 1 out of 50 booklets, and the other three varieties are each 1 out of 10.

I did not get any with the blue numbers AND the black serial numbers; those must be random.

Now I am broke, I think I will put one of each on ebay...

I can just picture BeeSee driving around from Post Office to Post Office, long grey coat and hat to hide the face, nipping into the PO's on tiptoe, looking left and right to see that no one is spying !
Then running out with the booklets in a plastic bag.........

The loneliness of the long-distance booklet searcher !

Londonbus1, I should have brought Philby with me!

Nice research Bee See. I haven't got around to any other Post Offices as of yet.

The counting tab (gray instead of black) With a Blue 2 is one of the rarest ones. It is 1 in 50 times 1 in 10, is that 1 in 500? or is my odds making skills at fault?

By the way Bee See, what are your black 6 digit control numbers that you did get?

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Just talked / emailed to a fellow in White Rock, BC (near Vancouver) and he had the following examples:

6-digit black control #089930 with the blue #2
6-digit black control #089931 with the blue #2
6-digit black control #089936 with the blue #2
6-digit black control #089935 with the blue #2

all from the same Post Office, so these can be consecutive, two numbers to a pack of 25. Perhaps just with the Blue #2 though, as my two consecutive examples are like that.

Waiting on Bee See's numbers . . .
(After tomorrow I will compile all the numbers and combinations I have seen from everywhere so far and list them here.)

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Perforation Difference:
(As noted by Mr Harris in an email),

The perforations on the stamps on the souvenir sheets do not have the elliptical perfs. Different than that of the booklet stamps.

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I have been ignoring the souvenir sheets but will get one tomorrow to scan and show.

edit: typo

My numbers are 048674, 75, 76, 77, and 78, no blue numbers.

From another 2 other post offices in Langley I have 025837 & 38, no blue numbers.

I am about 20 minutes away from White Rock.