On Monday, June 2, 2003, Canada Post issues a 48c commemorative stamp marking the fiftieth anniversary of the crowning of Queen Elizabeth the Second. The stamp recycles last year's Golden Jubilee design, with a word change to Coronation, and a colour change from gold to royal purple. 

Issued in mini sheets of 16, the Coronation Jubilee stamp has an intial printing of 20 million, with the proviso that more will be made to  fill demand. Canada Post no longer issues definitive stamps depicting the Queen, so it is important that persons wishing to maintain a tradition of Royalty on Canadian stamps, obtain these issues and use them on their mail.  

We did notice a minor printing error, on only six sheets, in one post office   pad of panes we were able to examine. Looking at the traffic light colour test pattern in the sheet margin corners, one can see that the light purple colour dot is shifted down slightly.

The design shift in the overprint maple leaf pattern shows itself as spots or lines in the lettering of Canada    48, across the top horizontal row of the affected sheets, and more noticeably, as a minor shift of the maple leaves into the white perforations, across the bottom of the stamps in the second horizontal row. 

First day covers are only available at select postal outlets.  With the help of David Hamilton, the Antarctic banknote designer, we produced a numbered, limited editon of 50 Coronation and Mount Everest ascent Golden Jubilee First Day Covers, cancelled here in Vancouver. 

Newsletter 43, June 9, 2003
Royal Canadian Mint Spring releases review

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