The Curious 8¢ “Farm Scene” from the 1946 Canadian Peace Issue
A puzzling rate makes this beautiful stamp intriguing to any collector!
The 8¢ “Farm Scene” stamp was part of the medium and high value pictorial definitive set issued in 1946, right after World War II. Canada was emphasizing peaceful endeavours after the deprivation and sacrifice of the war. This set featured images of farms, forests, the lumber industry, a hydroelectric dam, modern wheat harvesting, and a large ferry ship (Figure 1).
Figure 1: 1946 Canadian Peace Issue
Figure 2: 8¢ Farm Scene
These were in contrast to the wartime stamps of the same design depicting tanks, a munitions factory, a corvette, and a destroyer from the Royal Canadian Navy. But one anomaly in the Peace Issue is the 8¢ Farm Scene value (Figure 2). There was no obvious rate in the postal tariff requiring 8¢ of postage at the time. Why then did Canada’s Post Office issue an 8¢ value?
There is no rational explanation for this stamp. So, the collecting challenge is to find covers using either a single 8¢ stamp correctly rated, or multiples of the 8¢ making up higher weight rates. As an example of single 8¢ franking, the domestic postage rate at the time was 4¢ for the first ounce for first class surface mail to any point in Canada, plus 2¢ per each additional ounce. Thus, a three-ounce letter would add up to 8¢ (Figure 4).
Figure 4: A 3oz letter paid by the 8¢ Farm Scene stamp.
A 16¢ rate paid by a pair of the 8¢ Farm Scene stamps is composed of double weight (4¢ plus 2¢) and 10¢ registration fee (Figure 5). There are other unusual rate constructions to add up to 8¢ and its multiples, but the fact remains, the stamp did not serve any direct purpose. It is mostly found used with other values to make up postal rates (Figures 6 – 9).
Figure 5: A double-weight letter plus the 10¢ registration fee required two 8¢ Farm Scene stamps.
Figures 6-9: Other examples of the 8¢ Farm Scene used on covers.
Fun fact #1: The design of the stamp is a photographic composite of four farms. The farmhouse is from Eastern Ontario, the barn from Western Ontario, the silo from Central Ontario and the ploughmen and horses from Quebec.
Figure 10: A bisected 8¢ Farm Scene
Fun fact #2: In 1952 an enterprising mailer from Ottawa bisected the 8¢ stamp to make the correct 4¢ rate on a locally mailed letter. While this was illegal, the letter in Figure 10 passed through the mails undetected.
Fun fact #3: In March 2017, the American Philatelic Society conducted a copycat “March Madness” competition for stamps concurrent with the national college basketball championships. This 8¢ Farm Scene was Canada’s entry versus beautiful stamps from Chad, India, United States, Switzerland, New Zealand and Laos. The winner was Canada, with nearly 60% of the vote! Just another reason to cherish that oddly conceived, yet lovely 8¢ Farm Scene stamp.
“Canada wins inaugural APS Stamp Madness contest.” Canadian Stamp News. April 12, 2017. https://canadianstampnews.com/canada-wins-inaugural-aps-stamp-madness-contest/
— Ingo Nessel
Vice President & Secretary, Greene Foundation