• Introduction
  • Welcome
  • About BNAPS Education
• Novices
  • Youth
    • Introduction
    • Canada’s Art and Artists on Canadian Stamps
    • My Favourite ... Cartier, 1534-1934
    • Collect Canada’s 1953–57 Wildlife Stamps
    • A Ship from History
    • First Day Covers
  • Adult
    • Introduction
    • A Small Start Can Build a Grand Collection
    • Canada's prime Ministers series of 1951-1955
    • The Admiral Stamps of Canada
    • An Introduction to Canadian Machined Slogan Cancels
• Experienced Collectors
  • Stamp Collectors
    • Introduction
    • Grenfell on Stamps of Newfoundland and Canada
    • Bluenose is Still Considered Canada’s Finest Stamp
    • The Open (or Shut) Case for Booklet Collecting
    • 1946 Stamps Show Canada’s Return to Peace
    • Issues of WWII: King, Country, and Conflict
    • The 1932 Medallions are Modern Classics
    • Canadian Stamps Marked Montreal Olympics
  • Postal Historians
    • Introduction
    • Canada’s ½¢ Small Queen had Multiple Uses
    • Covers Commemorated the Royal Visit of 1939
    • Some 19^th Century Mail That Took it on the Chin
    • Markings on Canadian Naval Mail of WWII
    • Crashes, Fires, and War Interrupted the Mail
    • Paquebot Covers: Mailed on the High Seas
• Exhibitors
  • Introduction
  • Aid to Exhibitors and Judges
  • Getting Started in Philatelic Exhibiting
  • Use resources to help solve puzzling covers
• The Press
  • Commercial publications
    • Introduction
    • Stamp Society Supports Youth Philately
  • Society publications
    • Introduction
    • Stamp Society Supports Youth Philately
• EDUCATION SECTION MAP

Introduction |  Formats |  Printings |  Dies |  Paper |  Straight-Edges |  Coils |  Fakes |  Forgeries |  Varieties |  Cancellations |  Rates |  Bibliography

The Admiral Stamps of Canada - Admirals with Straight Edges: From Post Office Sheets or Booklet Panes?
by Randall W. Van Someren (ENA3F)

Until mid-January, 1914, post office sheets of the original seven Admirals had selvage on all four sides. This means that no straight edge stamps came from post office sheets of 100 prior to that date. Any straight-edged stamps with cancellations dated before mid-January, 1914 are from booklet panes.

After mid-January 1914, post office sheets were printed in sheets of 400 and were cut into smaller sheets of 100 by a guillotine. This produced 19 straight edge stamps along two adjacent sides of each sheet of 100 stamps. This practice continued for the rest of the Admiral era. Therefore all Admiral stamps from panes of 100 exist with straight edges on one or two sides.

On the above diagram, the dark lines bisecting the grid vertically and horizontally represent the guillotine cuts. All stamps along these cuts have straight edges on one or two sides. The gray areas around the edges of this diagram represent the selvage on the other two sides of a pane of 100 stamps.

Pictured above are the 8 different straight edge stamps that come from post office sheets of 100. A set like this can be assembled for each denomination of the Admirals that was issued in post office sheets.

Booklet panes of either 4 stamps or 6 stamps were printed for both colors of each of the 1¢, 2¢, and 3¢ denominations. Single stamps from booklet panes also have straight edges on one or two sides. Pictured above is a booklet pane of 4 which shows the 4 different straight edge stamps that come from booklet panes. Notice that the 4 different straight edge stamps found on booklet pane stamps are also found on post office sheets of 100.

Single stamps from some booklet panes are much scarcer than regular straight edge stamps and their catalogue value reflects that scarcity. There is a tendency for both stamp dealers and collectors to label any straight edge stamp as coming from a booklet pane. However, that is not true since 19% of stamps from post office sheets of 100 also have straight edges.

So the question arises as to whether straight edge stamps can be positively identified as coming from either a pane of 100 or a booklet pane.

There is no easy answer that question. If the collector is willing use Marler's book (The Admiral Issue of Canada, 1982) to go through his "types" one by one, most booklet pane singles can probably be identified. Most collectors, though, do not have the time or the patience to do this task.

As can be seen from the above photographs, the straight edges of a booklet pane stamp tend to be very smooth clean cuts. Although a straight edge from a post office pane of 100 may look straight to the naked eye, under magnification it tends to be fairly rough. This way of differentiating the sources of straight edge stamps is not infallible; but it works most of the time. The important word to remember here is tend.

Remember also that "squat printings" of the 1¢ green and 2¢ carmine Admirals on horizontally wove paper are from booklet panes. For more information on "squat" printings, see the page entitled "Paper Varieties on the Admirals".

Tips for Specific Booklet Pane Singles.

Booklet pane singles of the 3¢ carmine Admiral are quite easy to identify. The booklet panes were printed by the wet printing method, and the post office sheets were printed by the dry printing method. Therefore all stamps from the 3¢ carmine booklet pane are narrow in comparison to stamps from the post office sheets.

Single stamps from the 3¢ brown booklet pane are fairly hard to identify. George Marler classifies them as type 18, which also is found on many post office sheets. The best way is to look at the smoothness of the straight edges. Even in the above photograph, the difference can be seen. The single stamps from booklet panes tend to be more a reddish brown rather than a yellow brown. The color differences may or may not be seen in the above photograph because computer monitors vary quite a bit.

Introduction |  Formats |  Printings |  Dies |  Paper |  Straight-Edges |  Coils |  Fakes |  Forgeries |  Varieties |  Cancellations |  Rates |  Bibliography