Ottawa - Canada Post will issue a single domestic rate (51˘) stamp on January 12, 2006, to commemorate the Queen's 80th birthday. This special commemorative will be reprinted as needed, as was the case with the Queen's Jubilee stamp. On April 21, the Queen's actual birthday, Canada Post will issue a souvenir sheet featuring two international rate ($1.49) stamps of the same design.
Elizabeth Alexandra Mary was born in London on April 21, 1926. The first child of the Duke and Duchess of York, she became heiress presumptive when her father and mother became King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in 1936. The Queen ascended to the throne in 1952, upon the death of her father, and her coronation took place a year later on June 2, 1953. Since then, she has visited Canada on 21 occasions, most recently for the Saskatchewan and Alberta Centennial Celebrations during the summer of 2005.
Q30 Design Inc. of Toronto created the Queen's birthday stamp. The photo, taken by Victor Pilon for Canadian Heritage, shows the Queen in a colourful, brightly lit, informal portrait, interacting with the public at the RCMP Museum and Stables in Ottawa during her 2002 visit. The words "Happy Birthday! / April 21, 1926" appear in both official languages on the stamp.
Queen Elizabeth is the most celebrated personality to have appeared on Canadian postage stamps, having been featured over 100 times.
The cover of the stamp booklet consists of six photos of the Queen, taken over several years - 1940, 1953, 1970, 1975, 1987 and 2002. Except for the Pilon/Canadian Heritage photo, pictures are from Corbis Corporation. The stamps on the April 21 souvenir sheet will be identical in appearance except for the $1.49 denomination.
The stamp measures 32 mm x 27 mm. Canadian Bank Note will print a first run of 3 million booklets of 10 stamps with 10 envelope seals, and 400,000 souvenir sheets of two stamps. The stamps will be printed using seven-colour lithography and pressure sensitive gum on Tullis Russell Coatings paper. The die-cut stamp is general tagged on all four sides. The Official First Day Cover will read: Ottawa, ON.
Additional information about Canadian stamps can be found in the Newsroom section of Canada Post's website, and a downloadable high-resolution photo of the Queen's birthday commemorative stamp is in the Newsroom's Photo Centre. Stamps and Official First Day covers will be available at participating post offices, can be ordered online by following the links at Canada Post's website www.canadapost.ca, or by mail-order from the National Philatelic Centre. From Canada and the USA call toll-free: 1-800-565-4362 and from other countries call: (902) 863-6550.
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