canada flag cancels

I'll answer my own question. Had a quick look on SCF and found this explanation from our friend Backroads.
I'll attach his image (if he's tuning in, I hope he doesn't mind my sharing his resource. I give him full credit). It is a page from a book called 'Holmes Specialized Philatelic Catalogue of Canada and British North America' I've printed it out on a page, and unfortunately the resolution isn't very good. Which means there's ANOTHER book I've got to look for.
The flag with the bars is a type 9. The older cancel is, I think, a type 3. Kind of hard to tell.

I love those flag cancels! And you've got some nice clear examples there too. I haven't yet found a nice one on cover, but I have a few fragments on some lose singles. The bars must have been added to the 1899 strike to strengthen the obliterating qualities. The flags must Canada's first slogan cancels, anyone have any more reading on that subject?

I also have a 1968 copy, and I think it's the last edition that was published.

Hmm, according to the Wikipedia page on Dr. Holmes, 1968 is in fact the last edition.  Dr. Holmes died in 1961.

Ryan

If I remember correctly, the last one I've ever seen is the 2005 edition.  Both English and French language versions were available.  There was also a Darnell EFO catalogue, printed in the same year I think, maybe the year before (I'm still not home, I can't check my bookshelf).  The Rousseau website (Darnell publishers) no longer mentions any catalogues, so I guess it's dead in the water.

www.rousseaucollections.com/en/coins_and_stamp_supplies.html

Unitrade has improved considerably under Robin Harris' editorship and is now a much better catalogue in my opinion, but at the time there were some listings in the Darnell catalogue that were useful - paper varieties on the backs of stamps, for example (some QEII commemoratives had hi-brite fluorescence on the back of the stamp).  There were also many of the pointless "colour shift" varieties with very inflated prices.  Two-colour stamp with one colour poorly centred?  $10!  haha

Ryan

Hi James

Here's a link for a BNAPS study group for the Cdn. flag cancels. I don't think the group is still active but you can still access a bunch of their newsletters. I took a quick look through some of them and there's some interesting reading.
Flag Cancel Study Group Newsletters

Another reference, which I've never actually seen, is the
The Canadian flag cancellation handbook 1896-1973, by Ed Richardson

I don't collect them myself but they definitely are pretty. Here's a couple I had a few years back.




Rick

James check out those early inverted provisionals.If they didn't exsist where did the pictures come from???

Ah, so suddenly I'm the 'go to guy' for cancels, huh? Figures! (just kidding, actually. You bunch have helped my countless times, so I'm more than happy to help if I can).
Not sure what you are referring to regarding inverted provisionals, FF, but as far as the letters go, yes there's more info.
I'm still trying to figure out what the letters mean. I understand on US cancels they indicate whether the letter was dropped off, picked up etc., but here north of the 49th, they seem to have a different meaning. From what I can glean so far they indicate the die of the cancel.
Montreal used A, C, D, and E. Montreal also had a mysterious K cancel used for 7 days only!
Hamilton used A and B
Toronto used A - F ( I think they may have referred to postal stations, but I'll need to read more in depth)

That just seems to be flag cancels, which were printed on a Bickerdike machine.

There are other straight and wavy line cancels with other letters. Example Niagara Falls - R

I'm sure there is lots I'm missing, so stay tuned.

Hi vggvp (did I spell that right?) and welcome to the forum.
Thanks, and yes I'm very happy to get these books. I've been making a real effort the last few months to increase my home library. As nice as it is to have forums such as this to pick brains, it's also very good to have some of the information at my own fingertips (and hopefully offer my brain for picking, such as it is).
I am familiar with the Greene. A member came and spoke at my club a few months ago about their new machine (I won't even try to remember the name of it), and it was quite fascinating. Ran into another Greener at the Toronto (yes you got my location correct, though I actually live north of the city) Old Book and Paper Show this past fall. He had just finished picking through a selection of books and pamphlets I was looking for, to add to the Greene library. He was able to leave me some nice stuff.
So, although I'm having to start rethinking my shelving options in my home studio - only so much room - information is power. And I can use all I can get!

Ah, well, I'm red faced. I'm not great at remembering names, but you'd think I'd recall a Mr. Vggvp! (wink wink)
That was a great talk, let me thank you again. Very informative! Yes, it was at the Barrie club.
Too bad you can't give a presentation to the folks here on the forum, but I think it would loose something.

Jeff, you are a class act! As my ol' Dad used to say, a gentleman and a scholar.
Beautiful Imperial obliterator cancel Type F1, with a D die letter on a Small Queen #41. But then, you already knew that. 

Many many thanks. 

Canada Flag Cancel
Exposition
www.bnaps.org/ore/Burnett-CanadianPhilatelyOutline/enacpao12.pdf