Today we take airmail service pretty much for granted. It wasn’t until September 21, 1928 that Canada Post issued a regular airmail stamp.
What went on before that was one of the most exciting periods in the development of our postal system as we know it today. 1918-1932 was the Semi-official Airmail era. The stamps (or labels as they were frequently called) were sanctioned by the Post Office and each commercial airline venture supplied their own stamps, which had to conform to government regulations.
These airline companies served areas not accessible by road, rail or water or only with great difficulty. Prime examples were the gold fields of Northern Ontario and the vast expanses of Canada’s north and Arctic.
Airline companies charged a fee (often 25 cents) for carrying a letter from an isolated point to a destination where it could enter the normal postal system. Consequently, two stamps were required; one to pay for the private airline service and a regular stamp to pay for the Post Office service. Of course, the requirement was the same for mail destined to an isolated point.
All of these Semi-official airmail issues are quite scarce, some being extremely rare. Historically, the envelopes are fascinating as they “tell the story”, showing the airline company markings as well as Post Office cancels. Many of these flights carried less than 100 pieces of mail, making a comprehensive collection a terrific challenge.
Shown here are but a couple of examples of the dozens of different stamps made by the 15 companies that issued these stamps.
For more information about Stamp Collecting (and coins as well) be sure to attend the Coin and Stamp Show hosted by the Medicine Hat Coin and Stamp Club under the grandstand at the Medicine Hat Stampede Grounds on Sept. 6, 2025 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Collector’s Corner is contributed by the Medicine Hat Coin & stamp Club. For questions or comments about coin or stamp collection email medhatcsc@live.com
