ritish American Bank Note
Co. of Ottawa. Wove paper. Perf. 12.

33. 20c vermilion, Scott's No. 46.
34. 50c deep blue, Scott's No. 47.

CHAPTER XII.--_The 8c Stamp of 1893._

Until 1889 the registration fee had to be prepaid by means of the
special stamps issued for the purpose. When, in 1889, a uniform
registration fee of 5c was adopted the public were given permission to
use the ordinary postage stamps in making up the difference between the
old rate of 2c and the new one. This was done largely to enable the old
2c labels to be used up. In 1893 it was decided to discontinue the use
of special registration stamps altogether and to permit the payment of
the registry fee by means of the regular postage stamps. As the rate of
domestic postage was 3c at that time and the registration fee was 5c, a
new stamp, by means of which both postage and registration could be paid
together, it was decided, would be useful. Consequently an 8c
denomination was issued, this being recorded in the _Philatelic Record_
for October, 1893, though, judging from the following extract from the
WEEKLY for August 10th, 1893, it would appear that the new value was in
general circulation at least as early as August 1st:--

The following orders were posted up in all Canadian post-offices on
August 1st:

A new postage stamp of the value of 8c is now being put into
circulation. This stamp will be available for the prepayment either
of registration fee and postage combined, or of postage only. The
5c registration stamp, when the present supply is exhausted, will
be withdrawn.

[Illustration]

The new denomination, as stated in the _Philatelic Record_, "resembles
in design the 3 cents of the current series; but the head of the Queen
has been turned the other way, and is now to the left."

This stamp was of similar size to the other values of the set then
current (excepting the 20c and 50c, of course) and it was printed from
steel plates in sheets of 200 arranged in ten horizontal rows of twenty
stamps each. According to Mr. Howes, there were no marginal imprints of
any kind. This denomination was printed on wove paper and perforated 12
like the others. The variety with gauge of 11-1/2 x 12 is reported in
connection with this value but, like the similar varieties of the
earlier issues which we have already mentioned, the statement requires
verification before it can be definitely accepted.