| Name | Value |
|---|---|
| Date of Issue | July 19, 2013 |
| Year | 2013 |
| Quantity | 2,700,000 |
| Denomination |
 PERMANENT™ (P).Current monetary value: $0.92. |
| Perforation or Dimension | Simulated perforation |
| Series | Canadian Recording Artists |
| Series Time Span | 2007 - 2013 |
| Printer | Lowe-Martin, Gravure Choquet |
| Postal Administration | Canada |
| Condition | Name | Avg Value |
|---|---|---|
|
M-NH-VF
|
Mint - Never Hinged - Very Fine | Only available to paid users |
|
U-VF
|
Used - Very Fine | Only available to paid users |
The hidden date for this stamp can be found along the right edge of the stamp.
These stamps featuring The Tragically Hip, Rush, The Guess Who and Beau Dommage are the latest in our ongoing series honouring Canadian recording artists – and the first to feature bands rather than individual performers. The commercial and critical success that these groundbreaking musicians have achieved reaches far beyond our borders.
The Tragically Hip
Five friends from Kingston, Ontario – Gordon Downie, Paul Langlois, Rob Baker, Gord Sinclair, and Johnny Fay – founded The Tragically Hip in 1984. The band’s name, chosen quickly before the first gig, was inspired by Elephant Parts, a short video by former Monkee, Michael Nesmith.
Known for energetic live performances, The Hip has established a demanding concert itinerary, touring extensively in Canada, the U.S. and Europe.
The band has released 12 studio albums, two live albums, one extended play (EP) and 54 singles, and sold millions of records worldwide. Enjoying mass popularity and critical success, The Hip has received numerous awards, including 14 JUNO Awards, the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award and induction into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.
The stamps
Designer Louis Gagnon of Paprika drew on feedback from the groups in this series to focus on what fans recognized most about their beloved artists. The result: stamps with group shots of Beau Dommage and The Tragically Hip alongside stamps featuring the iconic logo of The Guess Who and the fan-favourite cover of Rush’s album, 2112.
Each stamp will be released individually on its own First Day Cover. For the design, Gagnon had access to press and performance shots as well as album covers. To keep everything united, he showed each group’s graphic logo and kept colour tones and textures consistent.
“The main challenge was trying to catch the mood of each band, while keeping a respectful look and feel,” explains Gagnon. The current band members were present in the development process and gave their input all the way through. That helped us balance how we saw the final result and how they wanted to be represented.”
“Although these bands have existed for over 30 years, they are still active and performing today,” he adds, “so we wanted to stay as close as possible to a timeless treatment.”
Canada Post’s Stamp Design Manager Liz Wong echoed those challenges. “Representing the incredible history of these groups in just a few images is nearly impossible. Balancing history with the present to create something classic and lasting was essential.”
“This release is really about the fans,” says Wong. “We wanted to turn the larger-than-life character of each group into something that every fan would recognize and love.”
For Gagnon, working on the series was an honour. “These names have enormous history and, along with their all-time classics, are still very influential in the rock scene,” he says. “It was very rewarding to design their stamps, considering that these will travel the world and be part of special collections.”