Postal Orders of Canada
Encyclopedia
Postal order
Postal Order
In the United Kingdom , a Postal Order is used for sending money through the mail. In the United States, this is known as a Postal money order...

s are a service of Canada Post
Canada Post
Canada Post Corporation, known more simply as Canada Post , is the Canadian crown corporation which functions as the country's primary postal operator...

, and are a method of transferring funds.

Postal orders, or postal money orders, have been issued by the Canadian Post Office roughly since confederation (the timeline linked to below, for example, cites the postal money order system as expanding to Manitoba in July 1873). Money orders were issue for values up to $100, while postal notes (introduced 4 August 1898) were for sending small sums between 10¢ and $5.

Canadian postal orders and notes were not issued in Newfoundland
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...

, as Newfoundland was an independent dominion, and a British colony, before it became a Canadian province, although Canadian postal notes were allowed to be paid in Newfoundland.

Range of denominations

Here is a list of denominations of the Canadian postal notes as noted on P.N.107-12,000, which was issued by the Post Office Department, Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...

 with effect from 13 December, 1934. They are listed as pairs of values and commissions, including revenue tax:

10¢ (1¢), 20¢ (2¢), 25¢ (2¢), 30¢ (2¢), 40¢ (2¢), 50¢ (3¢), 60¢ (3¢), 70¢ (3¢), 75¢ (3¢), 80¢ (3¢), 90¢ (3¢), $1 (3¢), $1.50 (5¢), $2 (6¢), $2.50 (6¢), $3 (6¢), $4 (6¢), $5 (6¢), $10 (8¢).

The $10 postal notes were issued at non-accounting offices.

Postal Note Stamps

Canada was the only British Commonwealth country to issue special postal note stamps. These were used for the purpose of extending the value of a postal note up to a value of 99c. above the denomination of the postal note itself. The United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 had issued postal note stamps as well.

British Forces Post Office-issued British Postal Orders

These have been issued only in Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...

 and Newfoundland
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...

. There is also a British Forces Post Office in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...

- B.F.P.O. 487.

British overprinted postal orders

A series of British postal orders were overprinted in about 1905 as examples of what Canadian-issued British postal orders might look like. However, plans to issue British postal orders throughout Canada never materialised. In July 2006, a set of 3 British postal orders overprinted "Canada" and the word "Specimen" turned up and were sold on eBay for £7,123. These are believed to be unique.

The denominations with their details are as follows;

2/6 (61 Cents). Serial number 21/C J29313.

4/- (97 Cents). Serial number E/14 537597.

12/6 ($3.04). Serial number 2/N 900005.

These postal orders can be found illustrated on http://www.gbos.org.uk/index.php/Overprint_Postal_Orders

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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