Bitter Grounds Magazine

stamps, espresso & conversation

Canada war revenue poster – Great War propaganda

Written by catpaw
June 11, 2015

BOBs, or Back of the Book stamps are a fun and often overlooked area of collecting.  I’m more a dabbler than a serious collector when it comes to revenues. If something falls my way and in my budget range, I’ll scoop it. My collection is modest because I tend to focus more on airmail, but I can never pass up a good excise stamp. Stamps issued during the Great War are among my favourites. They are beautifully engraved and a rich source of propaganda. If you are doing any research into propaganda from the period, look no further than the iconography used in the posters used to sell them.

I found this poster prime example of Great War propaganda in the Toronto Public Library archives:

Back of the Book1918 Canada War Stamp -  great war propaganda

Canada war revenue poster

The poster and the stamp tick all the boxes for WW1 imagery. I’d love to acquire the $5 stamp in the poster, but it’s far above my price ceiling for revenue purchases. I’ve seen a .25c one from the series go for over $200. I save my dollars for airmails and go cheap on the revenues.

The best source for Canadian revenues and info on them is E.S. J. van Damn – http://www.esjvandam.com/ and https://canadarevenuestamps.com/ I desperately wish they’d update their dated web design and include a proper indexing. It’s infuriating to navigate. But it’s the best online for current pricing.

While you’re here don’t forget to support Bitter Grounds via Buy me a Coffee (to the left), PayPal (in the footer) or by merch. You can now subscribe to my newsletter and get new posts directly to your inbox. You can now like and share articles using the pop-up box on the right. 

 
 

Support = more content & frequent updates

There are two ways you can support Bitter Grounds

a donation via Buy me a Coffee

or

You can also buy some fun t-shirts, stickers, magnets and totes at my Merchandise Emporium
Among the philately related images you can buy are unique Cinderella airmails I’ve been creating.

 

0 Comments

Yes, I do read all the comments!

Copyright
© 2023
Bitter Grounds Magazine
All Right Reserved

This will close in 30 seconds