The Queen Elizabeth II domestic rate stamp was a definitive stamp issued by Canada Post, and bearing the image of Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada from 1952 to 2022. Eight versions of the stamp were issued from 2003 to 2019.
Canada has depicted its sovereigns on stamps since 1851; that tradition continues into the present day. Since 1939, the image of Queen Elizabeth II has appeared on 59 stamps issued in Canada, most of them definitives. [1] [2] Canada Post spokesperson Cindy Daoust was quoted as stating that stamps bearing the image of the Queen now "outsells other stamps, ten to one, whether it's a commemorative edition or definitive one." [3]
At Rideau Hall, on December 19, 2003, Governor General Adrienne Clarkson, along with Canada Post President and CEO André Ouellet, and Canadian pop music artist and photographer Bryan Adams, unveiled a 49 cent domestic rate Canada Post definitive stamp bearing the image of Queen Elizabeth II. Canada Post issued this stamp partly at the urging of the Monarchist League of Canada; the definitives were issued as double commemorative-definitives (normally these types of stamps are different) to mark the Queen's Golden Jubilee. [4] [5]
Using a black-and-white photographic portrait of the Queen, taken by Adams during a five-minute session with the Queen at Buckingham Palace, Saskia van Kampen of the Toronto graphics firm Gottschalk + Ash cropped the image, placed the Queen's face off-centre and gave it a sepia tone wash. The informal portrait was a break from the tradition of using official portraits or effigies of monarchs on Canadian stamps. Adams said of his picture as a "glimpse of the real person... The thing that made this photo win out, was her charming smile. It is a one in a million." This stamp was released again on December 20, 2004, as a 50 cent domestic with a blue wash, chosen to contrast with the colour of the previous stamp. As a security measure, but also to provide greater depth of colour, the blue tint consisted of six different colours.
On January 14, 2019, another permanent stamp was introduced, featuring a picture taken in 2017, at Portsmouth, England.
 2003 49 cent stamp |  2004 50 cent stamp |  2006 Permanent stamp |  2008 Permanent stamp |  2009 Permanent stamp |  2010 Permanent stamp |  2013 Permanent stamp |  2019 Permanent stamp |
It was announced on September 19, 2006, that a series of new definitives would be issued in December of that year, as a non-denominated stamp, which will remain valid for domestic first class mail (up to 30g) through any future postal rate increases. The new series included a Queen stamp, which used a colour image taken during her tour to celebrate the centennials of Saskatchewan and Alberta. A "P" in the lower right-hand corner appears instead of a numerical value to indicate it is good for the basic domestic letter rate. [6] The second version of this stamp was issued on December 27, 2007, featuring an image of the Queen during her 2005 visit to Saskatchewan and Alberta. [7]
The postal and philatelic history of Canada concerns postage of the territories which have formed Canada. Before Canadian confederation, the colonies of British Columbia and Vancouver Island, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Newfoundland issued stamps in their own names. The postal history falls into four major periods: French control (1604–1763), British control (1763–1841), colonial government control (1841–1867), and Canada, since 1867.
A definitive stamp is a postage stamp that is part of the regular issue of a country's stamps, available for sale by the post office for an extended period of time and designed to serve the everyday postal needs of the country. The term is used in contrast to a "provisional stamp", one that is issued for a temporary period until regular stamps are available, or a "commemorative stamp", a stamp "issued to honor a person or mark a special event" available only for a limited time. Commonly, a definitive issue or series includes stamps in a range of denominations sufficient to cover current postal rates. An "issue" generally means a set that is put on sale all at the same time, while a "series" is spread out over several years, but the terms are not precise. Additional stamps in a series may be produced as needed by changes in postal rates; nevertheless some values may be permanently available, regardless of prevailing rates; examples include 1c or 1p and $1 or £1.
Postage stamps and postal history of Great Britain surveys postal history from the United Kingdom and the postage stamps issued by that country and its various historical territories until the present day.
This is an overview of the postage stamps and postal history of Australia.
This is a survey of the postage stamps and postal history of Hong Kong.
The Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II was the international celebration held in 2002 marking the 50th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II on 6 February 1952. It was intended by the Queen to be both a commemoration of her 50 years as monarch and an opportunity for her to officially and personally thank her people for their loyalty.
The Machin series of postage stamps is the main definitive stamp series in the United Kingdom, used since 5 June 1967. It is the second series to figure the image of Elizabeth II, replacing the Wilding series. The last issue was on 4 April 2022, four months before her death on 8 September.
The postal history of the Bahamas begins in the 18th century, with the first post office operating since 1733. The earliest known letters date from 1802. In 1804 a straight-line "BAHAMAS" handstamp came into use. The Royal Mail Line initiated a regular mail service in 1841, and from 1846 used a "Crown Paid" handstamp along with a dated postmark for New Providence.
Country definitives, formerly known as regional postage stamps of Great Britain, are the postage stamps issued for regions of the United Kingdom, reflecting the regional identity of the various countries and islands of the British isles.
The postal history of Malta began in the early modern period, when pre-adhesive mail was delivered to foreign destinations by privately owned ships for a fee. The earliest known letter from Malta, sent during the rule of the Order of St John, is dated 1532. The first formal postal service on the islands was established by the Order in 1708, with the post office being located at the Casa del Commun Tesoro in Valletta. The first postal markings on mail appeared later on in the 18th century.
Jeffery Edward Matthews was a British artist, specialising in postage stamp design from 1959 to 2007. He conceived the Machin definitive series' colour palette in the mid-1980s.
The Wildings were a series of definitive postage and revenue stamps featuring the Dorothy Wilding photographic portrait of Queen Elizabeth II that were in use between 1952 and 1971. The Wildings were the first and only British stamps to feature graphite lines on the back, and the first to feature phosphor bands on the face – both aids to automation. The stamps were also the first British pictorial high value stamps and the first to include regional emblems.
The Castle series or Castle High Value series are two definitive stamp series issued in the United Kingdom during Queen Elizabeth II's reign. The common aspects of the two series are the four chosen castles, one for each country of the United Kingdom.
The postal history of the Pitcairn Islands began with letters being sent without postage stamps, as none were available on Pitcairn. In 1921, the United Kingdom and New Zealand formally agreed upon a system to handle post from the island, but this arrangement was ended in 1926. In 1927, stamps from New Zealand were introduced. To improve the revenue generation of the colony, the British government established an official post office on the island in 1940. The opening of this post office saw the issuance of the first set of Pitcairn Islands stamps.
Presidents of the United States have frequently appeared on U.S. postage stamps since the mid-19th century. The United States Post Office Department released its first two postage stamps in 1847, featuring George Washington on one, and Benjamin Franklin on the other. The advent of presidents on postage stamps has been definitive to U.S. postage stamp design since the first issues were released and set the precedent that U.S. stamp designs would follow for many generations.
This is a survey of the postage stamps and postal history of Seychelles, a 115 island nation spanning an archipelago in the Indian Ocean, some 1,500 kilometres (932 mi) east of mainland Africa, northeast of the island of Madagascar. Seychelles was administered as a dependency of Mauritius from 1810 to 1903. Independence was granted in 1976.
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