| Name | Value |
|---|---|
| Date of Issue | November 19, 1908 |
| Year | 1908 |
| Quantity | 500,000 |
| Denomination |
50¢
|
| Perforation or Dimension | 12 |
| Printer | American Bank Note Company, Ottawa. |
| Postal Administration | Canada |
| Condition | Name | Avg Value |
|---|---|---|
|
M-NH-VF
|
Mint - Never Hinged - Very Fine | Only available to paid users |
|
M-NH-F
|
Mint - Never Hinged - Fine | Only available to paid users |
|
M-NH-VG
|
Mint - Never Hinged - Very Good | Only available to paid users |
|
M-H-VF
|
Mint - Hinged - Very Fine | Only available to paid users |
|
M-H-F
|
Mint - Hinged - Fine | Only available to paid users |
|
M-H-VG
|
Mint - Hinged - Very Good | Only available to paid users |
|
M-NG-VF
|
Mint - No Gum - Very Fine | Only available to paid users |
|
U-VF
|
Used - Very Fine | Only available to paid users |
|
U-F
|
Used - Fine | Only available to paid users |
|
U-VG
|
Used - Very Good | Only available to paid users |
The small demand for the 50-cent blue Queen Victoria stamp of 1893 made it unnecessary to replenish the stock of this denomination until 1908, when the following stamp was added to the King Edward VII series. On the death of Queen Victoria on 22nd January, 1901, immediate steps were taken to replace her portrait on Canadian postage stamps. A new issue bearing the likeness of His Majesty King Edward VII was called for but did not materialize for nearly two years. When Sir William Mulock, Postmaster General of Canada, visited London to attend the coronation of Edward VII he likely spoke to the Prince of Wales, later King George V, on the subject of the new Canadian stamps. The Prince, himself a philatelist and interested in the designs of postage stamps, suggested a simple and dignified arrangement that was adopted with very little change.
The die was engraved by Perkins, Bacon, and Company of London, England. From an artistic point of view, the treatment of the engraving was not practical for printing postage stamps in large quantities. When the Postmaster General learned this he decided to have the contractors re-engrave the die following the same general design. The stamps subsequently issued bearing the portrait of King Edward VII were the sole product of the American Bank Note Company, Limited, Ottawa. For the first time the Department decided to place the crown on the regular issue of Canadian postage stamps. The crown introduced in the upper left and right hand corners of the design was not a necessary adjunct to the stamp, but served a decorative and symbolic purpose. Portrait of His Majesty King Edward VII, taken shortly before his coronation.