The Admiral Stamps of Canada

Precancels

Introduction

Precancelled stamps are stamps that have been cancelled with an overprint before being sold by a post office. They are used for bulk mailings by companies in order to facilitate handling. The styles of overprints have changed since the practice was first introduced in Canada, with the earliest designs consisting simply of straight, wavy and interrupted lines. In 1903, however, in order to identify the point of mailing, the Post Office changed the precancel design from a Bar Types to a City Types. The Post Office reverted to the Bar Type in 1922. Therefore, stamps of the Admiral Issue can be found with either the City or Bar Type of precancellation. The printing of the precancellation overprints was done by the Queen's Printer or by the Canadian Bank Note Company.

City Type Cancels
These cancels bore the name of the city above two or more lines, which were either plain, like the example shown at the left, or with scrolls between the lines. The name of the province was printed below the lines.
Click on stamp for a listing of all Admiral Issue City Type precancels.

Bar Type Cancels
This was the standardized Bar Type design introduced in 1922.
Click on stamp for a listing of all Admiral Issue Bar Type precancels.

Updated: 5 Oct 97

	City Type Cancels These cancels bore the name of the city above two or more lines, which were either plain, like the example shown at the left, or with scrolls between the lines. The name of the province was printed below the lines. Click on stamp for a listing of all Admiral Issue City Type precancels.
	Bar Type Cancels This was the standardized Bar Type design introduced in 1922. Click on stamp for a listing of all Admiral Issue Bar Type precancels.