Canadian Stamps Up To 1954

Just looking through the Harris U.S. and British North America catalog to 1954 that I found...its amazing how FEW stamps Canada had issued up to that point !!

Then you might also want to look at first class postal rates - how they were at or less than 5 cents - forever - and then look at what's happened since 1968.

Consider there was never a 9 or 11 cent rate and that we went from 12, to 14 to 17 all in a very short space of time.

...and then from 17 directly to 30 cents on the next increase and pretty much up by two cents (-ish) every year or two since then.

Rate changes affect the number of stamp issues, but there's also a good measure of marketing greed to collectors, some of whom will buy anything issued by a particular country.

True, I grew up with 3 cent postage and as an adult in the 60's the rate was only 4 cents..i wonder if the post office was in the "red" in those days ! WOT HAPPENED ????

As Moonbird was saying...

But we should also not forget that the rate changes in percentage terms have been minimal since 1979. The 17 cent to 30 cent change was a whole lot more than anything that had happened before or since. And going from 50 to 51 is nothing compared to going from 4 to 5.

.... and then there was the 5c coke. Printer ink and Coca-cola - now that's inflation.

And the 1cent penny match....?...yikes

GREAT chart, Minesweeper.

Thanks,
Kirk

There is an error in the Unitrade Rate chart shown above. The error has been corrected in the 2012 Unitrade Speicalized Catalogue of Canadian Stamps.

The surface International letter rate was increased from 6 cents to 10 cents on December 1, 1966. The 10 cent rate remained in effect until October 31, 1968 when it was raised to 12 cents, effective November 1, 1968.

The old chart above fails to include the 10 cent rate.

Those who rely on the Unitrade rate information must understand that it is very basic.