Collector’s Corner: Canadian postage due stamps

By Medicine Hat News on June 30, 2018.

Postage due stamps are an interesting and little known area of Canadian stamp collecting. Collectors in the past have paid little attention to this group of stamps.

On June 30, 1906, the Postmaster General started a system for accounting for short paid or unpaid postage by postmasters. This system of postage due stamps finally ended on Jan. 1, 1982 when all post office sales of these items ceased.

Before an unpaid or insufficiently prepaid article was delivered, the amount due thereon had to be collected from the person to whom the delivery was made and postage due stamps must then be attached to the article and cancelled.

For unpaid or short paid mail within Canada the article was forwarded to the destination and twice the deficiency was collected upon delivery.

Unpaid or insufficiently prepaid letters or other articles were not to be placed in lock or call boxes rented to the public. A card was placed in the box notifying that the article would be delivered at the wicket upon payment of the amount due. An example of such a card accompanies this article. In this case the amount to be collected was 22 cents, representing a shortfall of 11 cents on the original postage. The stamps shown on the card are of the Fourth Postage Due Issue in use from 1935-65. In 1967 Canada Post changed to the “Centennial Issue” in red and white of which there were also four different issues in use until 1982.

The Medicine Hat Coin and Stamp Club meets at 7 p.m. every second and fourth Tuesday at Victory Lutheran Church. You are welcome to attend.

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.