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Post by jamesw on May 28, 2019 2:52:07 GMT
Help me out with this one, folks. I can't figure it out. I've got this nice clean advertising cover from 1939 which seems innocent enough. Can't find any information about the company, W.J. Pickard Ltd., moving and storage in Toronto. No special markings. The Toronto machine cancel is repeated on the back.  But what confounds me it the 10¢ stamp! The postal rate at the time for first class surface mail was 3¢. War tax was reimposed in 1931, but that only accounts for 1¢. So why use this 1938 pictorial stamp (SC#241)? Even if you count the war tax, what was the other 6¢ for? No markings for registered letter, special delivery, airmail. There doesn't seem to be anything to indicate it's philatelic in nature. It's not a first day cover. I don't know who the recipient Charles Campbell was, or why he was staying at the Hotel Noranda. Any thoughts? I am curious... |
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Beryllium Guy
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Posts: 5,654 
What I collect: Worldwide Stamps 1840-1930
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Post by Beryllium Guy on May 28, 2019 8:41:33 GMT
Well, James ( jamesw ), the only thing that occurs to me is that it is a simple case of over-franking. I have done it myself if I was in a hurry to post something and didn't have the right denomination stamp handy, I just use what I have, even if I am overpaying. That's all that I can think of at the moment. Open to better ideas, of course.... |
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Ryan
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Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Posts: 2,720
What I collect: If I have a catalogue for it, I collect it. And I have many catalogues ....
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Post by Ryan on May 28, 2019 9:02:34 GMT
I can't give a proper answer so I'll make the situation muddier instead. I posted this example a few years ago somewhere or other - it's the same situation as what James has shown, too much face value shown, but it's even more exaggerated. This stamp has clearly been given a machine cancellation so it must have fit on a more-or-less normal envelope, not a parcel. At the time (Peace issue, immediately after WWII), postage within Canada was 3 cents and even if it needed registration, I think that was only 10 cents at the time. Why the need to use a 50 cent stamp on the envelope? Insurance? Was the guy mailing $1000 bills?  Ryan |
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Post by jamesw on May 29, 2019 1:14:51 GMT
Well Ryan. Let's look at some of the possibilities. Your stamp (SC#272 issued Sept 16 1946) has an airmail slogan cancel. That doesn't necessarily mean it was used as airmail, but let's pretend it was. The international airmail rate from Canada to the West Indies, Mexico, Cuba, Central America and British Guiana was 10¢ (per 14 oz.) in 1946. Coulda gone there. The rate to South America, starting November 1 1946 was 10¢, coulda gone there. It was the armed forces rate for an aerogramme as well.
And who's to say it travelled alone? could have had company on that envelope, making up a much larger International Airmail TransAtlantic rate, going almost anywhere.
Sadly without the envelope, it's all conjecture.
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Ryan
Member
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Posts: 2,720
What I collect: If I have a catalogue for it, I collect it. And I have many catalogues ....
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Post by Ryan on May 29, 2019 6:35:40 GMT
The international airmail rate from Canada to the West Indies, Mexico, Cuba, Central America and British Guiana was 10¢ (per 14 oz.) in 1946. 4 x 14 oz. plus one extra ounce to kick it up to needing 50 cents of postage just based on weight alone would mean that the "envelope" weighed three and a half pounds. Not likely to be something that will fit through an automatic envelope cancellation machine! I can't guess what was going on ... Maybe Uncle Pennybags only had 50 cent stamps left and couldn't be bothered to go get some more 3 cent stamps - same kind of guy who would get rid of his Cadillac when the ashtry got full. ha ha Ryan |
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vikingeck
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What I collect: Samoa, Tobacco theme, Mail in Wartime, anything odd and unusual!
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Post by vikingeck on May 29, 2019 9:03:18 GMT
The international airmail rate from Canada to the West Indies, Mexico, Cuba, Central America and British Guiana was 10¢ (per 14 oz.) in 1946. 4 x 14 oz. plus one extra ounce to kick it up to needing 50 cents of postage just based on weight alone would mean that the "envelope" weighed three and a half pounds. Not likely to be something that will fit through an automatic envelope cancellation machine! I can't guess what was going on ... Maybe Uncle Pennybags only had 50 cent stamps left and couldn't be bothered to go get some more 3 cent stamps - same kind of guy who would get rid of his Cadillac when the ashtry got full. ha ha Ryan Well no Ryan that need not be the case. War time airmail rates were high. Admittedly not your 50c, but here are airmail to Bermuda at 45c, and a 30c rate with your cancel to GB, 1941 and '45 . it would not need much more to nudge it up to 50c and still get the slogan cancel.   James please forgive me butting in, it does not answer your conundrum, but I want to suggest to Ryan that a machine cancel on 50c is perfectly possible. |
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Ryan
Member
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Posts: 2,720
What I collect: If I have a catalogue for it, I collect it. And I have many catalogues ....
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Post by Ryan on May 30, 2019 5:09:37 GMT
Admittedly not your 50c, but here are airmail to Bermuda at 45c, and a 30c rate with your cancel to GB, 1941 and '45 . Wow, I never would have guessed it could have cost that much to mail an envelope anywhere back in those days! Ryan |
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