IN MEMORY OF DARLENE BURT
FOUNDER AND CREATOR OF THIS WEBSITE
This website is dedicated to Canadian Picture Postage. Here is a brief explanation of the website and Picture Postage issues. The menu consists of the following: Home, News, Picture Postage, Postal Stationary, Stamp Store, Odds & Sods and Contact Me. The News section is where you will find updates to the website as new Picture Postage stamps are added. Clicking on Picture Postage from the menu, will open up a sub menu of all the Picture Postage frames issued to date by Canada Post. Once there, you can click on any of the frame choices to view Picture Postage stamps for that frame. The assignment of numbers is arbitrary and will start off with the Scott Catalogue number, followed by a letter A=Animals, B=Business & Organizations, M=Miscellaneous and P=People, then a number starting with #1 and continuing on for each category. Greetings 1, 2, 3 and Alaska Cruise stamps will be the Scott Catalogue number, followed by a number only, starting with #1. The numbers are open ended and in no way indicates date of issue which is unknown in most cases. The Commemorative Envelopes that Canada Post issues in place of individual stamps are a study all of their own and are described under the Postal Stationery section. Also under Postal Stationery are Canada Post First Day Picture Postage covers. The Stamp Store is where you can view Picture Postage for sale or for trade. Odds & Sods house everything else that does not fall into a menu category above.
Canada Post started a trend on January 28, 1994 when it produced booklets of 10 self adhesive 43¢ stamp frames called Greetings Booklet - 1. Scott Catalogue numbers are 1507 and 1508 with a central blank area that allows the user to insert 1 of 7 greetings label designs from the booklet or insert a personal label or sticker. 1507 has Canada on the left side of the stamp and 1508 has Canada on the right side of the stamp.
On September 1, 1995 Greetings Booklet - 2, Province's Issue, Scott Catalogue numbers 1568 and 1569 were issued as the result of a change in postal rates to 45¢. These frames were smaller in size than the original printing in 1994. Several new labels were introduced for this issue including Greetings, Chiropractic, and Promotional labels Santa Claus, Wedding, Valentine Heart and Saint Valentine. The two stamp frames are similar to the previous year issue; 1568 has Canada on the left side of the stamp and 1569 has Canada on the right side of the stamp.
Greetings Booklet - 3, Special Occasions was issued January 15, 1996, Scott Catalogue numbers 1600 (Canada on the left side of stamp) and 1601 (Canada on the right side of the stamp). These frames are back to the original size as issued in 1994 with a postal rate of 45¢. Promotional Hamilton labels were introduced this year promoting 150 years. During the initial printing of the Hamilton labels, a spelling mistake was noticed and although recalled by Canada Post, some still escaped to the public. Vignette was spelled incorrectly as "Vingette" on the first print. The Hamilton labels were also issued as a no die cut press sheet.
April 28, 2000 marked the start of customers sending a personal photo to Ashton-Potter Canada Limited the printer for Canada Post to purchase a sheet of 25 Gold Leaf frame 46¢ Picture Postage frames with 25 customized labels of the photo and return address labels. These stamps are designed to affix the label horizontal or vertical to create a landscape or portrait stamp. Canada Post also produced a booklet of the same stamp Scott Catalogue Number 1853 with five different labels.
Christmas Picture Postage frame 46¢ was issued October 5, 2000 as Scott Catalogue number 1872. Canada Post issued a booklet with five different Christmas labels and again customers could order personalized stamps with labels from Aston-Potter Canada Limited.
December 28, 2000 Canada Post introduced three new frames in addition to the Gold Leaf frame and Christmas frame. This year the booklet issued by Canada Post contained five different frames with five corresponding labels. The Picture Postage 47¢ frames are Scott Catalogue numbers 1882a Silver frame, 1882b Gold Leaf frame, 1882c Mahogany frame, 1882d Love frame and 1882e Christmas frame. Customers could order sheets of 25 of any single frame from Ashton-Potter Canada Limited.
September 21, 2001 saw a near repeat of the previous issue with a booklet being issued with five different frames with corresponding labels. This year the Mahogany frame was replaced with a Baby frame. While the postage rate remained unchanged at 47¢, the stamps were printed with no denomination on them. The Picture Postage no denomination frames are Scott Catalogue numbers 1918a Silver frame, 1918b Gold Leaf frame, 1918c Baby frame, 1918d Love frame and 1918e Christmas frame. And as previous issues, Customers could order sheets of 25 of any single frame from Ashton-Potter Canada Limited.
Canada Post did an amazing thing on July 19, 2003 by issuing a pane of ten stamps to be used on the Alaska Cruise. Only 50,000 panes were available and the panes were not announced to collectors until after they appeared. Only 10,000 were offered to collectors through the National Philatelic Centre, while the other 40,000 were offered to cruise ship guests. It is uncertain how many of these panes set aside for cruise ship guests were sold. Cruise guests were given the rare opportunity of having their photo printed on the panes while on their cruise. Only a few single stamps have been seen that appear to have originated from the cruise ship. Many forgeries exist in an attempt for financial gain. There is no denomination on the stamp but had a $1.25 value at time of printing. Scott Catalogue numbers are 1991c Totem Pole and 1991d Whale's Tail. Ashton-Potter (USA) Limited produced these panes.
Write Me...Ring Me was another unique design by Canada Post on June 1, 2004. This Picture Postage stamp series consisted of four stamps with no denomination valued at 49¢, accompanied with matching 15 minute phone cards for each of the four designs. This set of stamps did not use labels, instead the picture was actually part of the stamp setting up for a new era of Picture Postage collecting. Scott Catalogue numbers are 2045 Butterfly and Flower, 2046 Children on Beach, 2047 Rose and 2048 Pug. These four Picture Postage stamps were printed by Ashton-Potter Canada Limited.
On October 21, 2004, technology changed the way Canada Post designed Picture Postage. Two new frames were introduced as Scott Catalogue numbers 2063 Silver Ribbon frame and 2064 Picture frame. Canada Post issued a turquoise maple leaf on each of the frames. The two frame designs were issued in their own panes of 20 self adhesive stamps with a "keepsake" souvenir sheet above it, separable by tearing the rouletted portion. Again no denomination on the stamps but had a 49¢ value at time of printing. Customers could order either frame by uploading their picture to Canadian Bank Note Company specifying which frame they wanted. Customers also had the option to purchase the pane of 20 with a keepsake or pane of 40 without a keepsake whereby their picture was imprinted directly on the frame, no more peel and stick labels. Orientation for these two stamps were landscape and portrait. Yearly rate increases were as follows: 01/17/2005 50¢, 01/16/2006 51¢, 01/16/2007 52¢, 01/12/2009 54¢, 01/11/2010 57¢, 01/17/2011 59¢ and 01/16/2012 61¢. There was no rate increase for 2008.
Along came November 2012 - twelve new frames, four denominations and a new printer making the stamps. Release date was scheduled for November 1, 2012 but was pushed back to November 5, 2012. Then due to production delays customers had to wait until November 16, 2012 before ordering. One stamp valued at $1.29 was issued for the Nestle Turtles box of chocolates, but all other customers had to wait. The new printer is The Lowe-Martin Group and continues today. Scott Catalogue numbers are 2586 Dots frame, 2587 Shadow frame, 2588 Love Hearts frame, 2589 Little Creatures frame, 2590 Butterflies frame, 2591 Maple Leaves frame, 2592 Flowers frame, 2593 Snowflakes frame, 2594 Wedding Bells frame, 2595 Wedding Doves frame, 2596 Celebration frame and 2597 Christmas frame. From November 16th - 23rd stamp denominations were 61¢, $1.05, $1.29 and $1.80, then rates increased on November 24th to 61¢, $1.10, $1.34 and $1.85. These stamps are available in two orientations: landscape and portrait, and in three formats: A sheet of 25 with a keepsake, a sheet of 50 and Booklets of 12. There is a small design difference between the landscape and portrait stamps for Love Hearts, Little Creatures and Butterflies frames. Yearly rate increases so far are as follows:
| Effective Date | Domestic P Rate | U.S.A. Rate | Oversize Rate | International Rate |
| 01/14/2013 | 63¢ | $1.10 | $1.34 | $1.85 |
| 03/31/2014 | 85¢ | $1.20 | $1.80 | $2.50 |
| 01/14/2019 | 90¢ | $1.27 | $1.90 | $2.65 |
| 01/13/2020 | 92¢ | $1.30 | $1.94 | $2.71 |
The cost of purchasing Picture Postage stamp booklets and/or sheets is substantially higher than the face value of the stamps and the prices increase when Canada Post increases their rates. Personalized Picture Postage can be ordered from picturepostage.ca. Picturepostage.ca does offer discounts on larger orders as well as smaller 10% - 20% discounts throughout the year.
Enjoy the website and if you wish to contact me regarding seeing your picture stamp added or any other information you feel might help the website, please go to the Contact Me page.