a limited circulation only, probably for a period of months covering the jubilee celebrations during the coming summer. When the sale is stopped the present 3-cent stamp will be put in circulation again.... So far the design of the new stamp has not been made public although the Hon. Mr. Mulock, the Postmaster-General, has sent a sketch of it to the British-American [sic] Bank Note Company to be engraved. It it said to be oblong and nearly as large as the Columbian issue".
If only this original intention had been adhered to!
More precise information finally appeared in the Era for May 29th:—
During the last week the Canadian papers have been full of Canada's Jubilee issue, which has now been definitely decided upon.
The Toronto Evening Telegram of a few days ago has perhaps the most to say concerning the stamps, and it is to that paper that your correspondent is indebted for the following. The new Jubilee stamp will be issued in another month. The design represents Her Majesty at two important eras in her life, namely at her accession on the 20th of June, 1837, and within a few weeks of her Jubilee in 1897. The first vignette, showing her on her coronation day, is from a well known portrait of that period. It is a full faced portrait and her Majesty wears the crown. Looking at the stamp this vignette is at the left side. To the right is a picture of Her Majesty as she appears today; the face is profile looking toward the vignette of 1837. The latter picture represents Her Majesty wearing the Empress crown. Between and above the two vignettes is a beautifully executed copy of the Imperial crown of England and under it the letter "V" with the letters "R. I." in the fork of the "V". The three letters meaning Victoria Regina (Queen), Imperatrix (Empress). In the semi-circle or upper part of the vignette are the words "Canada Postage" and underneath these are respectively the dates 1837-1897 and between the vignettes are ornamentation of maple leaves, while in the lower corners of the stamps are also maple leaves, and between these and at the base of the stamp is its denomination in black letters on a white ground. There will be sixteen varieties of the new stamp and a post card.
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The first set of stamps printed will be sent to H. R. H. the Prince of York [sic], who is an enthusiastic stamp collector. The second set will be presented to Her Excellency Lady Aberdeen (wife of the Canadian Governor General).
The same paper credits the suggestion of the general idea of the Jubilee design to Mr. Pareira, an official of the Interior Department.
A few days later the matter of the proposed issue came up in Parliament, and the Postmaster General was interpellated in the House of Commons. His
reply was published in the Canadian Hansard, the official record, of 20th May, 1897, as follows:—