Five new definitives launch Canadian UNESCO Sites stamp series

Canada Post is beginning a new stamp series March 31 showing UNESCO World Heritage sites in Canada.

The multiyear program will include both definitive and commemorative stamps to showcase Canada’s 17 World Heritage sites.

The first five stamps are nondenominated (85¢) permanent definitives covering the domestic letter rate. The five sites featured are Gros Morne National Park in Newfoundland and Labrador, Joggins Fossil Cliffs in Nova Scotia, Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks in Alberta and British Columbia, Nahanni National Park World Heritage Site in Northwest Territories, and Miguasha National Park in Quebec.

The stamps are being issued in booklets of 10 and 30, a water-activated souvenir sheet of five, and matching nondenominated ($2.50) international-rate picture postal cards.

The stamps were designed by Lara Minja of Lime Design.

The tagging on the new stamps features the UNESCO and World Heritage logos.

Later this year, a set of five commemoratives will be issued showing other World Heritage sites: Old Town Lunenburg, SGang Gwaay, the Rideau Canal, the Landscape of Grand Pre, and Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump.

Canadian Bank Note printed the self-adhesive booklet stamps by five-color offset lithography on Tullis Russell paper, with general tagging on all four sides. The souvenir sheet stamps are perforated with PVA gum.

The stamps will be in continuous printing as needed. A total of 160,000 souvenir sheets were produced.

The booklet of 10 is Canada Post item 111220 and the booklet of 30 is item 111221. The souvenir sheet is item 411220145.

A set of five international picture postal cards is item 262381.

Canada Post will service 11,500 official first-day covers franked with the souvenir sheet. The FDC will have a Joggins, Nova Scotia, postmark and is Canada Post item 411220144.

Canada Post products are available at www.canadapost.ca/shop. Stamps and FDCs will be available by mail order from the National Philatelic Centre, Canada Post Corp., 75 St. Ninian St., Antigonish, NS B2G 2R8, Canada; or by telephone from the United States and Canada at 800-565-4362, and from other countries at 902-863-6550.

Canada’s stamps and stamp products are also available from many new-issue stamp dealers, and from Canada Post’s agent in the United States: Interpost, Box 420, Hewlett, NY 11557.