CANADA AIRMAIL

Canada - Return To Catalogue

Note: on my website many of the pictures can not be seen! They are of course present in the cd's;
contact me if you want to purchase them: evert@klaseboer.com.

From 1918 onwards, several private companies delivered mail by air between the cities of Montreal and Toronto, Calgary and Edmonton, and Toronto and Ottawa. In the 1920's more private companies followed which flew to remote mining towns and large cities as well. Some of the companies used special labels. The first official airmail stamp was issued in 1928 when the Montreal Albany (New York) flight was inaugurated.

Probably such a private label, inscription 'CANADIAN AIRWAYS LIMITED AIR MAIL - ONE OZ.'

Other labels:

'JACK V.ELLIOT AIR SERVICE FIRST Red Lake Aerial Mail 1926'

'SPECIAL AIR DELIVERY CANADA 1924 LAURENTIDE AIR SERVICE LIMITED'

'WESTERN CANADA AIRWAYS LIMITED AIRE MAIL SERVICE' (1927)

'CHERRY RED AIRLINE LIMITED' (1929)

'COMMERCIAL AIRWAYS LTD CANADA AIR FEE' (1930)

1928 Angels surrounding globe, aeroplane on top, inscription 'AIR' in the center

  5 c brown

Surcharged
  '= 6 =' on 5 c brown (1932)

I've seen a forged double '= 6 =' overprint. On the back a black cancel was applied with 'FORGERY', just below it a red cancel with the words 'ANDRE FRODEL', referring to the forger Andre Frodel. The following information was passed to me by Ken Pugh concerning the above forgeries:
"Frodel never worked with overprints. There is quite a story to these. Fred Eaton, a prominent Vancouver dealer and benefactor to Frodel, was in possession of the Frodel estate (including a stock of his forgeries) when the Vancouver Police was investigation Frodel's forgery activities. To avoid a problem, he backstamped the Frodel forgeries in his possession FORGERY or FAKE ANDRE FRODEL. As Eaton, has in his possession other forgeries from other makers (also his friends) he backstamped those two. These included many overprints, OHMS and G officials, even some perfins. The maker of these "Frodels" was probably Alex MacMaster, a Vancouver printer and friend of Eaton. I suspect "Frodels" are being backstamped to this day to satisfy the forgery collector market."

1930 Mercury in front of globe, inscription 'AIR' at the bottom

  5 c brown

Surcharged
  '= 6 6 = OTTOWA CONFERENCE 1932' (blue) on 5 c brown (1932)

1935 Deadalus in flight

  6 c brown

1938 Seaplane and Hudson's bay (for airmail service in the Northwest Territories)

  6 c blue

1942 Aeroplane (allied war effort)

  6 c blue

1942 Aeroplane flying from right to left, inscription 'SPECIAL DELIVERY EXPRES AIR'

  16 c blue
  17 c blue (1943)

1946 Aeroplane flying from left to right, inscription 'SPECIAL DELIVERY EXPRES AIR'

  17 c blue

1946 Flying goose

  7 c blue 

Overprinted 'O.H.M.S.'
  7 c blue (1949)

Overprinted 'G'
  7 c blue (1950)