Canadian stamp: First Transatlantic flight celebration 1919 issued June 13, 1969
.15c Scotts #494 / SG #636 #494i (dull florescent paper)
Perf. 12 X 12.5No watermarks
Designer: Robert William Bradford
Printer: British American Banknote Co.
The scramble to be the first transatlantic flight
In the early days of flight, there was a mad scramble to be the first at everything – first across the English Channel, fastest, highest, longest flight. You name it, pilots pushed the limits. After Bleriot’s successful crossing of the English Channel in 1909, the Daily Mail newspaper in the UK offered £10,000 to the first person(s) to fly the Atlantic nonstop. That was the sticky part – it had to be nonstop in under 72hrs. No serious attempt was made until after WW1 which produced big advancements in air technology making the possibility of an ocean crossing feasible.
Several attempts were made but Captain John Alcock and Lieutenant Arthur Whitten Brown, flying a Vickers Vimy, claimed the prize.
The Vimy airplane
The Vimy was a big beast of a plane for its time. It was developed as a heavy bomber during the war. With a maximum speed of 160.93 km/h (100 mph), the flight took 16 hrs and 12 min, with a few heart stopping moments along the way.1
They took off June 14, 1919 from Lester’s Field, St. John’s Nfld and landed in the Derrygimla bog in Connemara, Ireland on June 15, 1919. The airplane was pulled out of the bog and is now stored at the London Science Museum in London, along with (be still my beating heart) my all-time favourite airplane, an Antoinette Flyer.
Canadian stamp Scott’s #494 / SG #636
Canada didn’t issue a stamp celebrating the flight for decades. The flight departed from the colony of Newfoundland, which wasn’t part of Canada until 1949. It wasn’t until the 50th anniversary of the flight that Canada finally issued a stamp honoring the event:
I’ve never particularly liked this stamp. I know I write about loving so many stamps, but this is one I’ve never been able to warm to. I love the flight, the airplane, the exhilaration of the trip, everything and feel terribly let down by this dull stamp. There’s no sense of motion or excitement. The engraving of the Vickers is nice, but the rest of the stamp sucks life out of it.
Newfoundland’s beautiful airmail stamp
Newfoundland issued a number of stamps commemorating the flight – including a number in 1919, although these are strictly overprints. Their spectacular 1928 dark blue .15c issue still outshines Canada’s bland little offering. If you are a first flight collector, that’s the one you should look for. This one has a sense of motion and beauty so sorely lacking in the 1969 Canadian stamp:
15,170,000 copies of the 1969 #494 were printed – mint goes for $2.50, usually much less if you are at a stamp show or auction. and can be found in any sales lots. Used fetches upwards to $2 and a plate block $12.50, although, again, that’s the catalogue price and a terribly optimistic. I don’t know of any errors or flaws in this issue. The 494i on florescent paper is catalogued at $10 for a single mint and about $5 used however you’d be hard put to get that much. I generally see the mint flogged for as low as $1.50. Plate blocks seem to have kept their value; with the last block I saw sold for around $10 per block.
Not the most beautiful nor memorable stamp issued by Canada. Ranks up there as forgettable unless you want to fill that hole in your collection.
All photos credit: Library and Archives Canada.
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Canada’s 1969 sad little stamp commemorating the 1919 transatlantic flight
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