---

The Large Queen definitives were issued on 1 April 1868. Two-ring numeral cancels began appearing almost a year later in late March 1869, and continued into the Small Queen period. The obliterators were issued to 60 post offices. While the numbering sequence generally appears to be based on post office revenue, there are exceptions.

The post offices to which the numbers were allocated were found from covers bearing the two-ring obliterator and a post office cancel. The post offices for numbers 17 and 20 are still not known.

All the cancellations are found in black. In addition, during the Large Queen period, the following are found in other colours:

• 3 (Quebec) – red, scarce
• 10 (Sydney) – blue, scarce
• 13 (Belleville) – blue, scarce
• 32 (Barrie) – blue, common

This list of the earliest recorded dates updates Table IV-14 in the book by H. E. and H. W. Duckworth, The Large Queen Stamps of Canada and Their Use.

The author would appreciate the help of other collectors. Please send scans of covers with earlier dates to waynesmithtor@yahoo.ca.

This listing will be updated periodically as new data becomes available. Please quote the following when referring to it:

Wayne Smith, "Early Use of Two-ring Numeral Cancels on the Large Queen Issue (May 2022 update)"

3 cent Large Queen with two-ring numeral cancel 15 issued to Brantford, Ontario

May 2022 update

Earlier dates are recorded for:

• 23 - Woodstock, ON
• 57 - Paris, ON

#	City / town	ERD	Comment
1	Montreal, QC	Apr 1, 1869	Cover has no dispatch CDS but has a back stamp with the date shown
2	Toronto, ON	Mar 27, 1869
3	Quebec, QC	Apr 7, 1869
4	Halifax, NS	Mar 31, 1869
5	Hamilton, ON	Apr 5, 1869	Recorded by Duckworth but not personally seen
6	London, ON	Mar 31, 1869
7	St. John, NB	Apr 1, 1869
8	Ottawa, ON	May 21, 1869
9	Kingston, ON	Mar 24, 1869
10	Sydney, NS	Apr 2, 1869	Recorded by Duckworth but not personally seen
11	Fredericton, NB	Apr 3, 1869
12	St. Catharines, ON	Apr 23, 1869
13	Belleville, ON	Apr 19, 1869	Blue
		May 22, 1869	Black. Recorded by Duckworth but not personally seen.
14	Guelph, ON	May 15, 1869
15	Brantford, ON	Apr 20, 1869
16	Brockville, ON	July 10, 1869
17			Location not known
18	Yarmouth, NS	Oct 31, 1869
19	Peterborough, ON	Mar 8, 1870	Recorded by Duckworth but not personally seen
20			Location not known
21	Goderich, ON	Nov 22, 1869
22	Galt, ON		Only known cover is undated
23	Woodstock, ON	Apr 10, 1869
24	Stratford, ON	Apr 5, 1869
25	New Glasgow, NS	May 21, 1869
26	Windsor, ON	May 29, 1869
27	Ingersoll, ON	May 14, 1869
28	Sarnia, ON	June 29, 1869
29	Cobourg, ON	July 29, 1869
30	Pictou, NS	Apr 8, 1869
31	Oshawa, ON	May 7, 1869
32	Barrie, ON	Apr 1, 1869	Blue
		Apr 16, 1869	Black
33	Sherbrooke, QC	Apr 1, 1869
34	Chatham, NB	June 5, 1869
35	Lindsay, ON	Mar 29, 1869
36	St. Johns, QC	July 29, 1869	Now Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu
37	Amherst, NS	Apr 8, 1869
38	Bowmanville, ON	June 16, 1869
39	Whitby, ON	Apr 23, 1869
40	Cornwall, ON	June 18, 1869
41	St. Marys, ON	Apr 23, 1869	Recorded by Duckworth but not personally seen
42	Acton Vale, QC	Mar 26, 1870	Not a Large Queen cover, but the only one known
43	Windsor, NS	Apr 13, 1869
44	Owen Sound, ON	Apr 23, 1869
45	Perth, ON	May 4, 1869
46	Dundas, ON	Apr 23, 1869
47	Napanee, ON	May 20, 1869
48	Simcoe, ON	July 29, 1869
49	Prescott, ON	June 9, 1869
50	St. Andrews, NB	Oct 8, 1870
51	Picton, ON	Mar 29, 1869	Recorded by Duckworth but not personally seen
52	St. Hyacinthe, QC	Apr 7, 1869
53	Three Rivers, QC	Apr 12, 1869	Now Trois-Rivières
54	Truro, NS	Apr 22, 1869
55	Berlin, ON	Apr 16, 1869	Now Kitchener
56	Brampton, ON	Apr 13, 1869
57	Paris, ON	May 31, 1869
58	St. Thomas, ON	Apr 30, 1869	Cover has no dispatch CDS but has a back stamp with date shown
59	Clinton, ON	July 14, 1869
60	Newmarket, ON	Apr 5, 1869

References

1. H. W. and H. E. Duckworth, “Date of introduction of the Two-Ring Numeral Obliterators”, BNA Topics, Vol. 32, No. 5, May 1975, pp. 120-121.
2. H. W. and H. E. Duckworth, “Further Report on the Date of Introduction of the Two Ring Numeral”, BNA Topics, Vol. 33, No. 1, Jan.-Feb. 1976, pp. 7-8.
3. H. E. and H. W. Duckworth, The Large Queen Stamps of Canada and Their Use, second edition, The Vincent G. Greene Philatelic Research Foundation, 2008, pp. 215-219.
4. Wayne Smith, “2 Ring Cancels on the Large Queen Issue”, BNA Topics, Vol. 51, No. 2, Apr-May-June 1994, pp. 26-30.