Stamp Collecting For Canadians

This is the largest stamp and highest denomination stamp that Canada Post has ever produced.

This Souvenir Sheet was issued in January 2010 for the Vancouver Winter Olympics and feature a native west coast totem pole of the Salish people as well as excellent photographs of the City of Vancouver and the skiing resort of Whistler B.C. Plus there's a cool killer whale to boot.

This is one of the Orchid Souvenir Sheets issued in 2010. Only 220,000 were printed.

This is one of the African Violets Souvenir Sheets issued in 2010. Only 225,000 were printed.

For the 100th Anniversary of the Canadian Navy, Canada Post issued 225,000 of these souvenir sheets. This seller is offering one of the souvenir sheets as well as stamps removed from the sheet.

The Four Indian Chiefs series was issued by Canada Post to commemorate the 300th anniversary of Dutch artist Jan Verelst portaits he painted of the Four envoys to the court of Queen Anne of England in 1710. Queen Anne commissioned the paintings by Verelst following Peter Schuyler attempts to have the native population meet with the Queen to prevent a possible alliance with the French in the New World.

Knowing the value of the stamps you already own and those you are considering purchasing is obviously vital. One of the best and most reliable stamp catalogs is the UNITRADE SPECIALIZED CATALOG OF CANADIAN STAMPS that are issued each year. They can be purchased directly from Canada Post or eBay. You may not think that owning older versions of stamp catalogs is a wise investment, but the older catalogs begin to become collectable themselves plus they give you some idea of stamp values in the past.

Not only does the price you might be willing to buy or sell stamps rely on your knowledge of what the value of mint and used stamps are today and last year, but whether that stamp has increased in value over the past ten or twenty years. You will be able to determine the ebb and flow of the prices paid and what the values could possibly be in 10-15 years when you want to sell some of your collection.

Plus, variations and errors are fairly completely shown in the Unitrade catalogs as well as full descriptions of the stamps, how they were made, how many were issued and all sorts of invaluable details that make stamp collecting such an enjoyable hobby. There are usually excellent color pictures of each and every stamp issued from the 1800s to the present, which obviously helps if you are uncertain which stamp you are looking at. Having a number of these guides will help give you a more informed advantage when considering obtaining stamps for your collection.

For the 60th Anniversary of Queen Victoria's coronation, Canada issued 16 stamps all identically designed with two pictures of Victoria past and present, but each denomination having a different color.

According the the 2009 Unitrade Specialized Catalogue of Canadian Stamps, buying a complete set of Canada Diamond Jubilee stamps in mint very fine never hinged condition would cost approximately $34,470.00. A little more than I am able to spend, but you can wish.

Issued as follows:

Half Cent - black
One Cent - light orange
Two Cents - green
Three Cents - bright rose
Five Cents - deep blue
Six Cents - yellow brown
Eight Cents - dark violet
Ten Cents - brown violet
Fifteen Cents - steel blue
Twenty Cents - vermillion
Fifty Cents - ultramarine
One Dollar - lake (purplish-rose)
Two Dollars - dark purple
Three Dollars - yellow blistre
Four Dollars - purple
Five Dollars - olive green

The higher denominations are extremely hard to come by and command a lot of attention if they come to auction. The smaller denominations are much easier to collect, but still they can cost a pretty penny based on their condition, how centered the image is, and very importantly, if the stamps were hinged at one time or another.

The half cent stamp was black and is shown below.

One of the stamps I have several of all stashed away is the One Cent Queen Victoria Diamond Jubilee stamp. Usually with a lighter orange color, with about 8 million issued. You can usually expect to pay around $30 for a Very Fine example of this stamp. If non-hinged, expect a premium to be applied.

The green Two Cent stamp from the Queen Victoria Diamond Jubilee series had a production of 2.5 million stamps printed. A Very Fine mint Two Cent stamp would cost you about $50 or so.

The bright rose Three Cent stamp from the Queen Victoria Diamond Jubilee series had a production of 20 million stamps printed. It was a very well used stamp. A Very Fine mint Three Cent stamp could cost you about $20 but there are usually deals to be had if you look at what's available. More of course if the stamp was mint and unhinged - meaning it had never had a hinge attached to the back of the stamp for display in a stamp album. Many collectors prefer purchasing older stamps without hinging as hinges could distroy some stamps and take away from the visual beauty.