Notes

on

Canada's 6 Cent

Orange, Perf 10

Centennial Definitive Stamp

Prepared for Members of Kingston Stamp Club's

Centennial Issue Study Group

© Bruce D Murduck,

Kingston, Ontario, Canada,

23 January 2022

6 Cent [dark] orange, perf 10 x 10 (Scott / Unitrade #459)

• Issue Date: 1 November 1968, to pay both the Domestic First-class rate (0 to 1 ounce) and the Postcard rate (both in effect from 1 November 1968);
• Engraved and printed by the British American Bank Note Company, in sheets of 600, producing 6 Post Office or Field panes of 100 (10 rows x 10 columns);
• Two plates were laid down - #1 and #2;
• Plate Imprints appear only on Philatelic panes, one each in the top left, top right, bottom left and bottom right selvedges;
• No 'order numbers' were engraved or printed;
• Philatelic panes have selvedge top, bottom and left side only - the right side is trimmed producing a straight edge;
• Post Office or field panes have selvedge on the left side only - the top, bottom and right sides are trimmed, producing straight edges.

Colour:

• dark orange, with a separate 'fluorescent ink' variation (2 shades) known.

Perforation:

• 10, comb

Gum:

• dextrine

Stamp size:

• 24 x 20.1 mm

Design size: 

• 20.3 x 16 mm

Paper Fluorescence Grades (subjective):

• NF - No Fluorescence (from Plates 1 & 2), known from 1 November 1968;
• DF - Dull Fluorescence (with and without fluorescent ink), known from 1 November 1968;
• LF./fl - Low Fluorescence front / Fluorescent back (from Plates 1 & 2), known from 1969.

Tagging:

• 'Winnipeg' type, '2 bars' on each stamp, known from 1 November 1968 on DF paper: 7.5mm bars centered over the vertical perforations, 11 bars across each pane with the pane left side and pane right side bars being only 5.5mm wide, extending slightly in to each left & right selvedge (where the right selvedge exists);
• Official 'First Day' covers from both Winnipeg and Ottawa are known, with those from Ottawa combined with the 1968 5 cent Christmas issue (Scott #502) commanding a premium;
• 'Blank' corners only were produced - no plate inscriptions appear on Philatelic panes.

Precancelled:

• appeared June 1969;
• the black precancel ink was applied first, then the orange ink was applied over top;
• authorization 'warning strips' were printed vertically in the left selvedge only;
• known on DF paper.

Booklets:

• 4 x 6 cent plus 1 x 1 cent brown; 25 cent sale price (Unitrade No. BK59) no fluorescence paper, appeared October 1968;
• 4 x 6 cent plus 1 x 1 cent brown; 25 cent sale price (Unitrade No. BK59) with fluorescent ink, appeared 1969;
• 25 x 6 cent; $1.50 sale price (Unitrade No. BK60) no fluorescence paper, appeared January 1969; It's impossible to differentiate stamps from these booklets from regular pane issue stamps.

Quantities sold:

• Sheet stamps - Plates 1 and 2: 450,8000,000 (which may include 30,600,000 printed with fluorescent ink);
• Sheet stamps - 'Winnipeg' tagged: 1,000,000;
• Sheet stamps - precancelled: 11,000,000;
• booklets: 25 cent (BK59): 86, 416,000 individual stamps;
• booklets: $1.50 (BK60): 66,500,000 individual stamps.

Hidden Date:

• as part of the design: '1968' on the railroad track in front of the train's engine (Thirkell position: left of F2).

Constant Plate Varieties Known:

1. Doubled 'C' of 'Canada, position 10 (but whether from Plate 1, or 2, or both, is not known; the pane number is also not presently known);
2. hundreds of odd dots and other marks (see "Centennial Definitive Series, 1967-1973", D Robin Harris; privately published; first edition; first printing - Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, July 2000 - Pages 178 through 181, inclusive, for listed details; and Pages 189 through 194, inclusive, for images).

Perfins:

• 7 distinct company perfins are known on untagged stamps;
• 3 distinct company perfins are known on tagged stamps.

Replaced:

• by 6 cent orange (pale orange and light orange), perf 12.5 x 12 (Scott / Unitrade #459b) in March, 1969.