Quebec Tercentenary

The stamps from my album pictured here (catalogue values of $7) is part of a series of eight stamps (catalogue numbers 96-103) that I plan to post separately. These are the first really interesting set of commemorative stamps that Canada issued, and are very valuable, at least in mint condition. 


These stamps are referred to as the "Quebec Tecentenary" issue (the 300th anniversary of Quebec). In French, that translates as "IIIe centenaire de Quebec": I say, translates, because the whole idea for the celebration was an English one. The Governor General at the time, an Englishman named Earl Grey, decided that a celebration of Quebec would help bring the nation together. Prime Minister Laurier was always interested in encouraging compromise between English and French and was convinced to give his support to the idea.


The first stamp in the series is of the Prince and Princess of Wales (future King George V and his wife). Why are they on the first stamp to celebrate the 300th birthday of Quebec? Well, because they were making a Royal visit to Canada at the time and the celebration was programmed around their schedule. 


Of course, everyone in Quebec loved this... the British monarchy being the main attraction at a supposed celebration of Quebec. Probably wouldn't have happened if Quebec planned it... Do you think this succeeded in promoting national unity?

King Edward VII

The stamps from my album pictured here (catalogue values of $73, $0.35, $6, $5, $12) are part of a series of seven stamps (catalogue numbers 89-95). I am missing the 20 cent stamp that was issued in 1904 and the 50 cent stamp that was issued in 1908. 


Again, you will notice that the first stamp in this series is mounted in a black casing, meaning it is a mint stamp that has never been used. Of course this makes the stamp much more valuable, depending on the condition of the gum on the back. This stamp is MH, which means "mint hinged" since some dingbat put a hinge on the back to mount it in their album like it was a used stamp and wrecked the original gum on the stamp.


King Edward VII was crowned after Queen Victoria died in 1901 and was King until 1910. Queen Victoria has long been called the Emperor of India, but a phrase was added to Edward's official title: he was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India.  


King Edward VII had a largely uneventful reign, other than overseeing the end of the Boer War. He was King just after the time of the more well-known Prime Ministers Benjamin Disraeli and William Gladstone, and there appears to have been very little political tension during his reign. 


I wonder if he (or others) saw that this would be the height of the British Empire. Between the bad press of the Boer War and the building political tension that would lead to World War I, were there signs that not everything was well? 

More Queen Victoria

The stamps from my album pictured here (catalogue values of $3, $0.45, $0.45, $0.45, $1.75, $3.45, $37, $164) are part of a series of eleven stamps (catalogue numbers 74-84) that were all issued at the end of 1898 to 1900.  I am missing the 6,7,&8 cent stamps from the series. These stamps are very similar to the series issued in 1897, but notice the numbers in the bottom left and right corners (instead of maple leafs) that distinguish this set from the more valuable previous one.

More Queen Victoria Stamps

The stamps from my album pictured here (catalogue values of $21, $2, $3, $2, $13, $20) are part of a series of eight stamps (catalogue numbers 66-73) that were all issued at the end of 1897.  I am missing the 6 cent and 10 cent stamps from the series. These stamps are very similar to the next series of stamps issued, but notice the maple leafs in the bottom left and right corners that distinguish this set from others.


You will notice that the first stamp in this series is mounted in a black casing, meaning it is a mint stamp that has never been used (the earliest in my collection). Of course this makes the stamp much more valuable, depending on the condition of the gum on the back. This stamp is MH, which means "mint hinged" since some dingbat put a hinge on the back to mount it in their album like it was a used stamp and wrecked the original gum on the stamp.


Again, more Queen Victoria pictures aren't terribly exciting. I know that 60 years on the throne was a big deal, but what about 30 years of Canadian Confederation? Still no stamps picturing anything but the monarch.

Widow's Weeds

The stamps from my album pictured here (catalogue values of $160, $110) are actually part of a previous series of Queen Victoria  stamp that were issued between 1870 and 1897.  These higher denominations used a different picture of the Queen, commonly referred to as "widow's weeds".

Apparently Queen Victoria was in mourning right from when Prince Albert died in 1861 right through to her own death in 1901. Mourning was already traditional in British culture, but like many other values in the Victorian era, it became exaggerated. In part, this was due to the example of Queen Victoria.

During this period of time, Queen Victoria largely kept to herself and distanced herself from government. This likely contributed to a shift in power and responsibility to parliament.

Postage Stamps 1870-1897

The stamps from my album pictured here (catalogue values of $16, $1, $3, $2, $2, $5, $16, $8) are part of a series (stamp numbers 34-45) that were issued between 1870 and 1897. There are also both 8cent and 10cent issues that I don't have. 


How boring are these stamps? Not only the same person, but the same image, for 27 years! Of course, this was standard practice for countries within the British Empire, but still... what happened to the Beaver stamp, and images of Jacques Cartier? Maybe because the French are now outnumbered (only one province out of several) and it is safer to use only British images? Whatever the reason, it doesn't make for interesting viewing (or collecting).

European History Review

Socials 10 starts in 1815, and there is some prior context that students should know in order to understand what was going in Canada by 1815. I always start with a map of Europe locating England, France, and Spain and then a quick review of European history. Students usually enjoy reviewing this stuff quickly and seeing how it all fits together. Here are my key points:

A. The British Monarchy

          King Henry 8th

          Queen Elizabeth 1st

                  Sir Francis Drake

                  Sir Walter Raleigh

B. Revolutions

          The English Revolution

                  King Charles vs. Oliver Cromwell

          The American Revolution

          The French Revolution

C. Colonialism

          Spain

               Christopher Columbus

          France

               Jacques Cartier

          England

               Sir Walter Raleigh

Britain Won:

     The Battle of Trafalgar

     The Battle of Waterloo

Here is a copy of my powerpoint lesson. Feel free to modify and use:
European History Review

Prince Albert and Queen Victoria

After the beaver, the next two most important symbols to recognize were Prince Albert and Queen Victoria (Canadian Postage Stamps #2 and #3). Looking at stamps from other countries, I would have expected Queen Victoria to be first. It would be natural to recognize the head of state before the beaver, no?

Now if I didn't already have some familiarity with the British monarchy, I would think that a "prince" is the son of a king or queen (in this case Queen Victoria's son). However, that is more of a modern interpretation of the word (or maybe just the simplistic vocabulary definition I was given as a child). The word "prince" in the past was used synonymously with "lord".  Here is the definition from Mariam-Webster:

1

a : Monarch, Kingb : the ruler of a principality or state

2

: a male member of a royal family; especially : a son of the sovereign

3

: a nobleman of varying rank and status

4

: one likened to a prince; especially : a man of high rank or of high standing in his class or profession

So Prince Albert was Queen Victoria's husband or "consort", but apparently although he was royal himself was a little beneath the Queen. Therefore, she did not grant him the title of "King consort" but rather the lesser title of "Prince Consort".

Despite the fact that he was a mere "Prince Consort", he was recognized first by Canada Post. Is this because he was male, just more interesting or popular than the Queen, or maybe it has no significance at all?

Either way, everyone seems just a little more interested in the topic of British monarchy (and our Canadian head of state) now with the publicity around Will and Kate. We can ask these prediction questions such as: Does Kate get called the "Queen Consort" or "Princess Consort"? Who is more popular: Will or Kate? If Canada were to produce separate stamps, who would be more likely to get the first one: Will or Kate?