Canadian commemorative set issued May 16 honors UNESCO sites

Canada Post honored five Canadian UNESCO World Heritage Sites with five commemorative stamps issued May 16.

Three of the stamps are denominated $1.20 to fulfill the letter rate to the United States. The other two stamps are denominated $2.50 for the worldwide rate.

The five stamps are the $1.20 Old Town Lunenburg, $1.20 Landscape of Grand Pre, $1.20 Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump, $2.50 SGang Gwaay, and $2.50 Rideau Canal.

The stamps for the two denominations are offered in two separate booklets of six.

A perforated souvenir sheet of five will include all five stamp designs created with moisture-activated adhesive. Canada Post will also issue five matching international rate picture postal cards.

The stamps were designed by Lara Minja of Lime Design, using stock photographs.

The stamps join five definitive stamps issued in March that featured other sites. Canada has 17 UNESCO World Heritage sites, and the 10 stamps issued so far are part of a multiyear program in both definitive and commemorative formats, according to Canada Post.

The UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Canada stamps were printed by Lowe Martin using five-color offset lithography on Tullis Russell paper, with general tagging on all four sides.

The booklet stamps have serpentine die cuts on all four sides. The souvenir sheet stamps are perforated approximately gauge 13.

The printing quantities for the set are 960,000 booklet stamps of each denomination, and 160,000 souvenir sheets.

The booklet of six $1.20 stamps is Canada Post item 413935111, and the booklet of six $2.50 stamps is item 413936111. The souvenir sheet of five is item 403935145.

The set of five international picture postal cards is item 262399.

Canada Post will service 13,000 each of the souvenir sheet on the official first-day cover. The FDCs will bear a postmark from Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, and is item 403935144.

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.