🇨🇦 A dealer on the Delcampe internet auction site has revealed the final 3 designs of Canada Post's Canada 150 set which is due for release on 1 June 2017. The dealer is offering all 10 stamps in the set for sale as well as a sheet which contains one of each stamp design.
The remaining designs in the set all have a sporting theme and commemorate:-
1. The Summit Series which was a series of 8 ice hockey games played between teams from Canada and The USSR, then the dominant team in international competitions, in September 1972 which resulted in Canada winning 4 of the games, USSR winning 3 and one game being tied. I presume that this famous victory holds as fond a place in any Canadian's heart as does England's 1966 Football World Cup victory over the West Germans does in any Englishman's heart. Rating:- *** (though if I were Canadian I might well rate the stamp to have even more stars!).
2. The Olympic Games - the stamp commemorates the3 occasions on which Canada has hosted the Olympic Games - the Summer Games in Montreal in 1976 and the Winter Games in Calgary in 1988 and Vancouver in 2010. Rating:- ***.
3. Paralympic Games held in Canada in 1976 (Torontolympiad - 1976 Olympiad for the Physically Disabled) and 2010 X Winter Paralympic Games held in Vancouver and Whistler. Rating:- ****.
This is a determinedly 21st century set of stamps which passes up the chance to remember the sacrifice of the Canadian people through 2 great wars and numerous international peace-keeping operations as well other great achievements of Canadians in, for instance, the field of Medicine - how many millions of lives have been saved by Banting and Best's discovery of insulin treatment for diabetes?
The issue is a "looking forward" set rather than retrospective - there is a seam of early 21st century political correctness running through it - it centres on "inclusion" and multiculturalism. I'm not criticising it for that but merely making the observation. Politics shines through glaringly in this issue. I always say you can't separate stamp collecting from politics and I think these 10 stamps make that point very well. This may not be a great set of stamps but it is very worthy.
I believe Canada Post stated the set was to celebrate significant events of the last fifty years only. Hence they announced the stamps over a period of time to pique the public's interest. They may well be two more sets commemorating the first fifty years of Canada and the middle fifty years, but I doubt their would be as much public interest in these.
ReplyDeleteWhat is interesting is the sheet is gummed with the booklets being self adhesive. I don't believe that was advertised beforehand.
Another point is to keep in mind Canada is like Australia. We are still fairly young nations, and while we both have significant histories our countries are still growing and changing. This is why in 2000 Australia Post issued the Face of Australia issue to mark the millennium as they saw it as an opportunity to celebrate Australia's future. Interestingly a similar approach has been taken by other young nations like Finland who issued a similar set this year to mark 100 years of independence.
ReplyDeleteChris, thank you for your as always useful and interesting and informative comments.
DeleteWhat's peaked my interest is that, although the individual stamps are die-cut maple leaf shape, the stamps on the sheet are perforated round! That's good for me and I will be adding the sheet to my collection. Can some confirm that the booklet stamps are also die-cut maple leaf shaped?
ReplyDeletePer the hockey, Canada views itself as being one of the best nations in the world in the sport (curling too...). The traditional rivals, or bad guys have been the Russians for a very long time. Losing to the South Georgian Islanders in the World Cup is no were as embarrassing as losing to the Russians. It is an iconic series that Canada expected to dominate, was humiliated in some of the games, and barely managed to win in the seventh and last game, at the very end. (because of this rivalry, the best hockey game ever played is deemed to be the New Year's Eve game between the Red Army and Montreal Canadians. A 3-3 tie. So, yes, like the '66 World Cup to Canadians
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