A very scarce variety of the J.C. Wilson pioneer patriotic postcard, WLS-P02 Type I P-9, has been added. This variety has uncoloured address panels with rounded ends instead of square ends. The variety was not known to Henry Gates, but had been previously identified by another dedicated J.C. Wilson collector, and is something I have only recently acquired.

The page on the WLS-E02 Type II, “The Flag That Braved” design, patriotic envelopes produced by J.C. Wilson & Co. have been updated to reflect the current site format.

This J.C. Wilson patriotic postcard of The Flag That Braved design, WLS-P02 Type II, bears Canada’s first Christmas Stamp, the Map stamp. In this case, the postcard was postmarked December 26, 1898, tied with a Morris Street Halifax NS CDS postmark, and mailed to Cambridge Mass USA, thanking the recipient for “dainty & pretty” “Xmas gifts”.

The Canadian Post Office announced the availability of the Map Stamp on December 3rd, 1898. Early usage of the stamp on cover or postcard is quite rare. On December 25th, the Imperial Penny Postage Scheme came into effect, allowing postage of 2¢ per ounce on mail between Britain & the colonies.

It seemed fitting to post this card on the site 119 years to the day later.

A WLS-P02 Type II card has been posted December 21, 1901 with a 2¢ Jubilee stamp mailed from Saint John N.B. to Liverpool, England with a Liverpool Packet Boat cancel dated January 2. The image has been altered slightly in the area of the Packet Boat cancel in order to enhance legibility.

Another page has been updated to the current web site format. WLS-P02 Type I now illustrates more material and more depth than the previous format allowed.